


Fritz

by jamartinauthor



Category: Original Work
Genre: Original work - Freeform, fritz - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 13:29:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16087067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamartinauthor/pseuds/jamartinauthor
Summary: When Amy's family moves to a new town, she quickly becomes acquainted with a boy named Alfie, who has a secret--his twin brother, Fritz, who possesses a magical crystal that allows him to warp reality





	1. The Brothers

Amy Lamond was the new girl yet again. She was used to it by now but it didn’t make the process any easier or more fun. After her meeting with the principal, she walked down the hallway to her locker. In her head she began counting. One...two...three...four…five...six...sev-  
“Hi Amelia!”  
Amy sighed and turned around. There were two girls; pretty and thin, with wide, forced smiles. They weren’t kind smiles, either. More like they were appraising her. It was easy to assume what they were thinking. Calmly, she said, “My name is Amelie, not Amelia. If you want, But I’m fine with Amy.”  
“Yeah, sure, whatever. I’m Millie,” The black-haired girl pointed to her shorter accomplice, “and this is Candy.”   
“So are you really from France?” Candy jumped in, barely even waiting for Millie to finish her introduction.   
Amy turned towards her locker, rolled her eyes, and put her bag in. “I wasn’t born there. We only lived in Paris for about three years for a job my Dad got. Then he got transferred back to the US.” The two girls gasped and Amy cursed under her breath. Why did you mention Paris?  
The two girls began barraging Amy with so many questions that her head started to spin. Too many questions. It was overwhelming. She backed into the lockers, barely breathing now. “‘Scuse me.”  
A deep voice seemed to turn the corridor quiet as Amy and the two other girls turned to see a tall, dark-skinned boy with short curly hair.Amy’s heart skipped a beat as soon as he appeared. He wore a nicely fitting blue polo shirt, with slick jeans and square-framed glasses.   
He moved through the group of girls, making a bit of distance between Amy, Millie and Candy. The strange boy sorted through his locker, pausing to give Amy a small smile before walking off.  
Everyone was quiet, until Amy decided to break the silence “Who was that?”  
Millie scoffed, but Candy blushed slightly. “That’s Alfie Montenegro. Trust me, you don’t want to be associated with him. He’s weird.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “I heard he murdered his twin brother Fritz.”  
Amy watched Alfie’s back as he walked off. She didn’t know him as well as any of her classmates, but he didn’t look like the type. There was a kindness in his eyes that she could relate to. “You don’t say…” she muttered distractedly.

Her first class was French. Despite her best efforts, the school had managed to put her in the French class. Of course, she didn’t need it. She had the strangest feeling the school wanted to brag that they had a French student who had actually lived in France.  
Though, on the upside, she was able sit next to Alfie here. She felt her face heat up. When she looked at him, he gave her another small grin.   
“Um...uh...hi. We didn’t properly meet. I’m Amelie Lamond. You can call me Amy.”  
“Alfredo Montenegro. You can call me Alfie,” Alfie replied. “It’s nice to meet you.” He held out his hand, and Amy shook it. He had a strong, slightly rough grip. It made Amy’s spine tingle.  
The teacher came. “Good morning everyone. As you might have guessed, we have a new student. Amelie, could you come up to the front of the class?” If Amy could remember, the teacher was Mrs. Watson.  
“Just Amy, please.” She said shyly.  
“I bet you can speak French better than anyone else in the entire building. Mind saying a sentence or two for us?”  
Amy thought about it. Clearing her throat, she said, “Vous êtes tous stupides et je déteste cela.” She was risking it, but saying ‘you all are stupid and I hate this’ was a little bit of relief.  
Alfie snorted, and Mrs. Watson looked like she was being brought to tears of joy. Alfie stood and replied, “Oui, ils sont, mais votre secret est sécurisé avec moi.” Amy understood it as ‘yes they are, but your secret is safe with me.’  
Millie, who was unfortunately also in their class, asked, “What did you both say?”  
Amy smiled. “I said that I thought that I was going to be happy here.”  
“I replied saying that I was sure she would be, too.” Alfie said with a discreet wink towards Amy.  
Amy smiled back as she sat down. She had a feeling she was going to be good friends with Alfie.

Later that day, she sat in her house, staring out the front window. A yellow bus pulled up and Amy watched as Alfie climbed out and walked to the house next to hers. The big, creepy, and oddly beautiful house next to hers.  
As he went inside, she saw a flash of light from one of the upstairs window. It was a silvery grayish light that remind Amy of lightning. She thought nothing of it, until she saw the tall, thin silhouette in the window. It wasn’t Alfie’s, because she could see him through the living room window. And whatever it was, it had glowing purple eyes trained directly at her.  
Amy freaked out some but her curiosity was rampant. She walked out and up to Alfie’s house, and knocked on the door. Alfie opened it and had an expression of vague surprise. “Oh, hello Amy.”  
“Hi, Alfie! Turns out we’re next-door neighbors! Who knew?” She gave a laugh and shrugged.  
“I did. I saw you guys move in. You just didn’t see me. I wasn’t going to mention it because I didn’t want to freak you out, but I was planning on coming over to say hi. But since you’re here…” he stepped to the side and waved his hand in. “Would you like to come inside?”  
“Sure!” Amy walked inside and the two walked to a sunroom in the back. Inside, Amy could appreciate the warm, inviting, victorian-esque style of the Montenegro house.  
As she sat down, Alfie asked her, “Would you like something to drink? We have soda, water, tea, coffee, milk, chocolate milk, hot cocoa…”  
“Tea sounds nice.” Amy told him. Alfie nodded and walked off. Sitting in the sun room was nice, open, and bright, but Amy couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched. The figure with purple eyes stuck in her mind.  
“Do you like Earl Gray, Darjeeling, Green, or Raspberry?” Alfie asked her. “Sorry there’s not a variety; we don’t drink tea too often.”  
“We? And green tea, please. It’s my favorite.”  
“My Aunt Adelaide and me. My parents are usually busy so I’ve been living with her for the past few years.” Alfie grabbed a tea bag, put it in the tea cup, and poured the water. Soon, the green tea was steaming aromatically.  
“Sugar?” He had a tray of sugarcubes. “Um…” he laughed nervously, “One lump or two?”  
“Two please.”  
Alfie used the silver tongs and deposited two sugarcubes into Amy’s teacup. Amy let her tea steep some, then drank. Alfie drank from his as well. It was quiet, but it was nice. Alfie just seemed to have that kind of feeling.  
“So, is your aunt upstairs?”  
This surprised Alfie. He blinked and cocked his head to the side and said, “Um, no...it’s just the two of us right now. Aunt Adelaide is at work. Why?”  
“I saw someone upstairs. Dark shadow, glowing purple eyes,” Amy laughed nervously, “I figured I imagined the eyes but…” she stopped, then asked, “is this house haunted?”  
After a moment of silence, Alfie laughed. “Don’t worry, Amy, there aren’t any ghosts.” At that moment, there was a large crash from the upstairs, causing both Amy and Alfie to jump.  
“Probably my cat…” Alfie said dismissively, until they heard something like a loud roaring.  
“Is your cat a tiger!?” Amy exclaimed in shock, jumping a little more when she heard something like a window shattering.  
Alfie waved his hands, “No, no, nothing like that. I’m sure that he’s just restless and messing with things. If you don’t mind, I’ll be right back.” He got up and walked away, turning and heading up the stairs, leaving Amy by herself.  
Before too long she heard Alfie talking loudly and...to himself? There was another voice impossibly close to Alfie’s talking back with him. However, the two voices were distinctly different from each other. One was like the way Alfie spoke with Amy and everyone else, but the other was more lively and slightly mischievous.  
Curiosity too strong, Amy got up and walked up the stairs. The house seemed to be following her as she went. There were portraits on the walls, some of which she actually recognized. There were several famous family portraits, getting newer and newer, until she stopped.  
Sophia Montenegro, the famous actress, standing with Louis Montenegro, the archaeologist. Standing together, side by side were two young boys. Identical boys. One was obviously Alfie, though before he had his glasses. Next to him was a boy with spiked hair and a mischievous smirk. Is that Fritz? Amy thought. Alfie hadn’t mentioned him at all. He didn’t mention his parents, either  
She followed the sounds of the voices up to a large double door. It was cracked, and she could hear them more clearly. She first heard Alfie say, “Please stop doing this! We have a guest you know!”  
The other voice taunted, “Am I scaring your girlfriend?”  
“She’s not my…”Alfie started.  
The other voice started going, “Alfie has a girlfriend! Alfie has a girlfriend!”  
“Fritz, would you stop that, please!?” Alfie exclaimed.  
Fritz. Alfie’s twin brother, that he was rumored to have killed. In her shock, Amy accidentally bumped the door, and she gasped. Alfie was standing, looking at her in horrid surprise. Next to him, floating in the air, was a boy with gray skin, pointed white hair, and glowing purple eyes.  
Stuttering, Amy said, “y-y-you know, I-I n-need to get home.” Before either boy could react, she ran off. Her heart was racing. Alfie had lied about there not being a ghost! What if he had killed Fritz and just didn’t tell anyone? Was he going to kill her?  
She ran down the stairs. Oddly, she didn’t remember it being a spiral staircase when she’d gone up the stairs. When she reached bottom...she was back at the boys’ door. Amy gasped and ran down the hall again. This time, the staircase was normal and she was back downstairs.  
Amy ran to the front door and opened it, finding herself in the upstairs hallway again. This time, it was more like a labyrinth than a hallway. Up to the point she was in a dead end. Her head was spinning and she could barely stand up straight.  
“Um, hey there.” A voice made her jump, She turned and her heart nearly stopped. Partially through the wall was Fritz, the gray skinned boy with white hair. His eyes glowed purple with diamond-shaped pupils and he gave a bashful grin with razor-sharp teeth. He gently scratched his cheek with a claw-like fingernail.  
The last thing Amy remembered before she fell unconscious was was a large gray crystal on his chest.

 

“...and did she scream?”  
“No. She saw me and just kinda fainted. No screaming, her face just went white and…” she heard Fritz blow a raspberry. “Though I suppose she was getting rapidly stressed out. I could hear her heart racing.”  
“AND YOU STILL FLOATED THROUGH A WALL AFTER TRYING TO KEEP HER IN THE HOUSE?” Alfie didn’t yell, but his voice became hard and serious. “Fritz, I would think you’d know better than that.”  
Amy opened her eyes to see a lovely woman laying a towel on her forehead. When the woman saw her open eyes, she smiled kindly. “Hello there. My name’s Adelaide. I’m Alfie’s and Fritz’s aunt.” She helped Amy sit up.  
The two brothers were standing side by side, giving each other unimpressed looks. They both turned to her. They looked identically worried: Fritz still had all of those weird traits, but the resemblance was still there.  
Fritz started to move forward but Amy cringed, so he stepped back, looking sad. Alfie cleared his throat. “Sorry about this, Amy. I’m sure finding Fritz here was quite the...shock.”  
Amy looked at Alfie equally fearfully. “Did you...really kill him?”  
For a moment, both brothers and Adelaide looked stunned. Then Fritz snorted. Slowly, he started chuckling, until he was gripping his sides with laughter, his sharp teeth glinting in the light. “Kill me!? Alfie wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less kill me!” He stopped. “I just have been living upstairs for the past couple of years. Trust me, it’s ridiculous. Alfie was out of school for a few months ‘cause of mono, and everyone was saying I killed him.”  
WHen her shock of his appearance faded, he was kind of adorable. The crystal on his chest was still jarring, though. Tentatively, she asked, “So you’re...not a ghost?”   
Fritz smiled at her. “Do I look like a ghost to you?” He was floating in the air.  
She thought about it. “Either that or a vampire,” she admitted, shrugging. Both Adelaide and Alfie cracked grins and Fritz forked over some money to Alfie. Repressing her laughter, Adelaide did the same.  
Amy climbed out of the bed and Alfie offered her his hand. He walked her to the front door with Fritz floating behind them. Alfie apologized again, “sorry about freaking you out like that.”  
“No, it’s fine.” Amy turned to look at Fritz, lazily floating in the air. “I’m really glad I got to meet the two of you.”  
Fritz smiled. “Nice meeting you too! Stop by anytime! Like, maybe tomorrow!” By the time he said that, Amy was already out the door. She looked at the two brothers, one standing and floating, both waving happily.  
When the door closed, she squealed excitedly and ran home. She was definitely going to like it. Especially her two new friends.


	2. The Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With an excitable invitation from Fritz, Amy visits the brothers' house so Fritz can show her his room. However, things start going unexpectedly...even for Fritz

For the first time in her memory Amy was excited to wake up in a new house. She stretched in her bed, letting out a long groan and a contented sigh. Hopping out of bed, she ran downstairs to where her parents were eating breakfast.  
“You’re enthusiastic!” Her mother laughed. “What’s the occasion?”  
“No occasion! I just made a couple of friends yesterday and they invited me over for today!”  
“Did they invite you for breakfast?” Her dad asked seriously. “If not, I’d sit and eat something if I were you.”  
Amy thought about it, but totally blanked. You can come over for breakfast if you want to. Aunt Adelaide won’t mind, and I know for a fact Alfie definitely won’t. Fritz’s voice was playful.  
“Yes, they invited me over for breakfast,” Amy told her parents. She kissed them both on their foreheads, then ran out of the house and to the twins’. Amy went up to the door and knocked.  
The door opened to show a curvy, tall, twenty-something looking woman with dark tanned skin and pointed, platinum blonde hair. “Hello there.” Her voice was exaggeratedly sexy.  
“Hi Fritz,” Amy replied. The woman scowled and quickly morphed into Amy’s gray-skinned friend.  
“How’d you know?”  
“Wasn’t too hard to guess, you know. Also you are over exaggerated in everything I’ve seen you do.”  
Fritz thought about it. “Yeah, you got a point. Come on in, sister.” He stepped aside and let her in. Even though he wasn’t floating, his head was higher than hers. Like his brother, he was really tall.  
He led her to the dining room, where Alfie was setting the plates. When Alfie turned, he jumped and dropped a plate. Before it shattered, it was in Fritz’s hand. “A-Amy!! I didn’t realize you’d be over so early!” Alfie stammered.  
“I invited her over for breakfast,” Fritz explained with a laugh.  
“You invited her over without telling anyone!? Fritz, Aunt Adelaide only made breakfast for the three of us!” Alfie sounded somewhat annoyed, then looked at Amy apologetically. “Sorry, Amy. I’m happy to see you, I just wasn’t expecting you.”  
Amy shrugged. At that moment, Adelaide walked in. “Oh, hello there Amelie. I’ve made bacon, eggs and hash browns.” Adelaide showed Amy the covered tray. “I only cooked for the boys and me, but we are more than willing to share.” She set the tray down and lifted the cover, and a spread beyond Amy’s imagination practically rolled across the table.  
Alfie rolled his eyes. “Fritz…” he muttered.  
Adelaide giggled. “Everyone, dig in!” She declared happily.  
Each of them went about eating breakfast differently. Fritz took one of everything, which surprisingly fit on his plate. Adelaide didn’t take as much, being more delicate with her food. Alfie was being completely cautious, poking at each item like it was going to attack him. Holding a strip of bacon, Alfie asked, “This is a normal piece of bacon and not one of your warped reality bacon thingies, right?”  
Fritz shrugged. “What does it matter? They’re both edible. They taste the same.”  
Alfie didn’t look reassured, but he grabbed more food and began eating. Amy grabbed some pancakes, strawberries, bacon and eggs. She even poured a glass of orange juice. Eating, she realized it was more delicious than she could ever imagine.  
Before too long, Alfie stood up. “I have to get to the library for chess club. With tournaments coming up, I need all the practice I can get. Thanks for breakfast Aunt Adelaide...and Fritz…” With one intense glare at Fritz, he got up and left.  
Fritz stuck out his tongue at Alfie’s back. After he left, Amy kind of lost her appetite. “Thank you for breakfast Miss Adelaide,” she said.  
“Just call me Addie. All my friends do,” Adelaide told her with a wink. “Hey, Fritzy, could you help me clear up from breakfast?” Fritz nodded and snapped his fingers. In a blink, it looked like they hadn’t eaten any breakfast, even though Amy still felt full.  
Amy blinked in surprise. “How...what...wait…”  
Fritz turned and gave Amy an energetic grin. “Wanna come see my room?”  
This took Amy by even more surprise, but she shrugged and said, “Okay.”  
“Wanna go the normal way or the fun way?” Fritz asked eagerly.  
“The...fun...way...I guess?” Amy replied with confusion.  
“Then sit here milady,” Fritz instructed. Amy sat on a stool right up against the counter. “Prepare for the ride,” he told her in a sing-songy voice. Hitting a button she hadn’t seen on the wall, he waved.  
The stool jerked and then moved on a track she hadn’t noticed before. She gripped the stoll as tightly as she could as large double doors opened and she slid through. Immediately, wild playful music started, and lights turned on to what looked like a carnival-esque ride.  
“We’re so glad you’ve come to play!  
And we hope you plan to stay!  
Not forever, just today!  
Hi there Amy! We shout hooray!”  
The ride was over so fast Amy had barely any time to process it before more doors opened and she fell into a hallway. “Enjoy the ride?” Fritz asked, squatting down to help pull her up.  
“Not quite,” she grunted, standing back up. “Too short and strobe-y.”  
Fritz nodded seriously. “I’ll keep that in mind for the next time. Come along, my friend, let us go to my room.” He indicated to a door right next to where they were standing. Amy walked to it. In less than a moment, Fritz was right beside her again.  
With a smile, Fritz opened the door to total darkness. The light from the hallway wasn’t even hitting the opposite wall. “Wee!” Fritz shouted, jumping. He seemed to fall down a bottomless pit. Until, of course, she heard him land. “Come on, Amy! Jump!”  
“I don’t think so!” she shouted back.  
She felt a warmish and tingly breath on the back of her neck. “Why not?” She heard Fritz ask. This startled her, and she nearly fell into the black abyss of Fritz’s room. “Whoa, there!” Fritz gasped, catching her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”  
Amy looked from his room to him with shock. “H-how did you do that?” she asked.  
Fritz grinned. “I promise that I’ll explain everything. Don’t worry about the jump. I will be at the bottom to catch you. That I also promise. You can trust me.” He let her go and took a step back. “I won’t force you, though.”  
With one more look to the darkness, Amy took in a deep breath. She moved forward and leapt. It was hard for her not to scream as she plummeted, but she closed her eyes. The moment she did she landed in strong arms. Opening her eyes she saw that she was being held by Fritz. He grinned at her and said, “See? I told you I’d catch you.” The only source of light was the crystal on Fritz’s chest. He put her down, and she was relieved to feel a floor under her feet.  
The door was completely gone. “Okay Fritz, can you tell me what’s going on please?” Amy asked. “I mean, you sleep in here? It’s creepy!”  
Fritz snickered. “My room is whatever I want it to be, and since you’re visiting for the first time ever, I’m letting it be whatever you want it to be. So, just picture something, and that’s what the room will be. I’m surprised, though. Usually I get a laugh from seeing people’s faces when my bedroom matches theirs. Why picture my room as an empty black pit?”  
Amy shrugged. “I try not to make preemptive visions in my head. It lets me be more surprised!” She closed her eyes. “But it would be really awesome if your room had a waterslide.”  
Before she opened her eyes she heard the water. Slowly, she opened them to see a massive, outdoor waterpark with slides as tall as skyscrapers. “Wow!!” Looking down, she saw she was in an adorable swimsuit, too. “Cute!!”  
Fritz was in purple/white striped swim trunks. He was actually surprisingly fit for how slender he was. His skin was the same pale, pearly gray. He was handsome but still odd. Oddest of all, the gray crystal was still embedded on his chest. Up close, it was prettier than she’d originally noticed. The gold around the edge really made it pop.  
“What do you want to ride first?” Fritz asked excitedly. “There are no lines and you can go as many times as you want. There’s no limit to anything and everything that you want to do.”  
Amy looked around. “I guess that sounds fun...but it feels empty, doesn’t it? Part of the fun is the other people. Waiting in line builds excitement for the ride.” She saw Fritz’ expression. “D-don’t think I’m not grateful.”  
Fritz chuckled. “Don’t worry--you have a valid point. It’s just…” he let out a nervous laugh. “Making realistic people is a bit difficult. Not to mention that there are limits to how far I can bend reality. If I bend it too far I could break it or hurt myself.”  
Amy felt bad. He was only trying to make her happy, and she was just being ungrateful. Seeing the tallest slide, she pointed and said, “let’s try that one!”   
At that, Fritz’ mouth grew into a wide, pointy grin. “Let’s do it!” Laughing, the two of them ran to the slide. At the base, Fritz gave Amy an excited grin. “Watch this.” He helped her onto the first step and snapped his finger. With a slight jolt, they began moving upwards like an escalator. Amy let out a laugh and held on. In no time, they were at the top.  
“Only two?” Fritz asked, dressed like a lifeguard. Amy looked. Fritz was in front of her...but also beside her?  
“Yes please,” Fritz told Fritz. “By the way, you are looking exceptionally handsome today.”  
“Why thank you, you two,” Fritz replied, with a wink. Amy blinked and held her head, trying to not get a headache. Both Fritzes, seeing her distress, laughed nervously and helped her onto the inner tube.  
“Here...we...GO!!” Amy felt the splash of water on her face as they slid down the tube. It was a whirl of speed and a rush of adrenaline. Amy had never been on a waterslide that fast before, and she was sure that some part of it was even defying gravity. Before too long, though, Amy started to feel dizzy.   
“Fritz…” She murmured. “Please....make it stop…” Suddenly they shot out of the tube. Amy stood up shakily then felt her stomach swirl, and she ran to the nearest trash can before heaving.  
When she was done, she looked up at Fritz, who wasn’t doing much better than she was. He wasn’t green, exactly, but pale gray with a slight greenish tint. “That was...unexpected…” He admitted before he keeled over the can again.  
“I thought...this...room was...whatever you wanted it to be.” She got sick again. “Are you saying that none of that was planned?” She straightened up with an exasperated and nervous look to her friends. “Fritz…”  
Fritz was looking around nervously. “I’ll explain everything, but something’s definitely off. There’s something working against my power but I have no idea what it is.” The nervousness in his voice didn’t make Amy any more comfortable. “I promise that I’d never make something like that. That was just awful.”  
When they both finally felt better, they started to walk back to where they’d started. As they did the sky filled with clouds and the air began to chill. Fritz grabbed Amy’s wrist and focused. The water park seemed to warp around them until they were at a snack stand. “This is where my door is supposed to be.” There was a maintenance door. Fritz went to open it, but it was locked tight.  
“Okay, that’s definitely not good.”  
“Fritz, what is going on!?” Amy exclaimed. “What is wrong with your room?”  
Fritz sighed. “I don’t know, Amy. I really don’t. I’m so sorry. My powers have never done anything like this. Speaking of which…” His crystal began glowing a bright whitish-gray light. He put his hands in front of the crystal and drew the light out. Pushing his hands out he blasted the light at the door.  
Amy had to look away at the bright flash. When she was able to look again, the door was blasted open. However, this took a toll on Fritz. His arms shook, and he ended up collapsing to the ground. “Fritz!!” Amy gasped. She helped him stand.  
Fritz laughed weakly. “Guess that’s what I get for condensing my powers like that.” The door in front of the two of them was nothing but darkness. “That’s our way out of here.”  
The two of them walked together into the darkness. Unlike earlier, this wasn’t a pit. Rather, it was a tunnel. When they stepped inside, the opening to the waterpark shrunk away. To Amy’s surprise, this darkness was actually warmer than the park. Once again, the only light was from Fritz’s crystal, though that was weaker than before. Luckily, it was enough light for Amy to see the way ahead. It was also enough to see that they were in regular clothes again.  
Fritz inhaled, and the light grew stronger, until he was able to stand straight again. “C’mon. Let’s get going.” They walked forward to a growing light ahead of them. It grew and grew until they stepped out of the tunnel...into a field.  
Before Amy could say anything, Fritz told her, “This isn’t a joke, I promise. It just means we’re on the right path, that’s all. As long as we remain calm, then we’ll find our way wout.”  
“Fritz!! Amy!!” They both heard Alfie’s voice shouting. They both looked and saw him running towards them. When he reached them, his breath was shallow. “Chess Club ended early, and when I got home, I heard noises from your room and came as quickly as I could.”  
Amy didn’t bat an eye, but Fritz seemed to blink in surprise. He said, “Who won this time? You or Lulu?”  
“Lulu,” Alfie admitted bashfully. “You know how she gets. She had a really good strategy I couldn’t beat. I just wish she wouldn’t push it in my face all the time.”  
“Okay then. Let’s get to the cottage,” Fritz said. He walked ahead, but not before turning and saying, “I’ll lead the way. Alfie, why don’t you walk with your girlfriend, ‘kay?” with a weak attempt at a mischievous grin.  
“Uh, yeah, okay!” Alfie agreed. Fritz picked up the pace. As he did, Alfie had a disconcerted frown on his face. Amy had no idea what was up with the two brothers. She felt herself blushing being next to Alfie, though.  
“How have you been?” She asked.  
“I’m okay, just the match has me cross.” Alfie’s tone was different than before. It was more tense and nervous, not the refined (if somewhat monotonous) voice she’d gotten used to. It startled her a tiny bit, but she honestly couldn’t tell if he was different or just unusually energetic. He gave her a bashful smile--or, an attempt to fake a bashful smile.  
When she realized that the two of them had stopped walking, she looked and saw that Fritz had stopped and was waiting for them. They started walking forward. Fritz didn’t wait for them to catch up. He kept walking, going slow enough so that they had him in sight--only speeding up if they tried to walk alongside him. Eventually, Fritz stopped at the edge of a cliff.  
He pointed when the two of them arrived. There was a beach that ran alongside the rest of the cliff. In the distance, so small it could almost be a dollhouse, was a wood cottage. “When my room starts acting up, that’s the only way in, and the only way out. It moves around so that I’m the only one who knows where it is.”  
“How are we supposed to get down there?” Amy asked. “I mean, there’s no staircase or ladder. Fritz, I think we’re...kind of…” she noticed the rickety wooden staircase that led down. “That wasn’t here before, was it?”  
“Nope,” Fritz told her calmly. He sounded eerily like Alfie like that. In fact, he was sounding more like Alfie than Alfie was. Amy winced and rubbed her head. Just thinking about the twins like that was giving her a headache. They all began heading down the stairs, with Fritz in the lead, Amy behind him, and Alfie taking up the rear.  
When they were halfway down the stairs, the wood began shaking. Amy screamed and the brothers let out a shout. The stairs collapsed, and Fritz shouted, “Amy! Close your eyes!” Fritz shouted.  
Amy did, and then she felt herself fall into strong arms. When she opened them again, she was being held by the two brothers. “Amy, are you okay?” Alfie asked.  
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” she grunted as they let her down. “Let’s just get to that the wood cottage and get out of here.” It was in her sights, so she began walking. The brothers both gasped in surprise, but they both ran to catch up with her.  
As they walked, Fritz said, “When you put your mind to something you really see it through, don’t you?” He laughed, but it was more of an impressed laugh than a humorous one. “That’s quite admirable, isn’t it?”  
Amy shrugged. “My parents always taught me not to take life lying down. Look it straight in the eyes and, if necessary, punch it in the mouth. If life gives you lemons, throw them back and make life give you oranges instead.”  
“I’d love to meet your parents...s-some...d-d…” Fritz’s eyes rolled to back of his head and he collapsed onto the sand.  
“Fritz!!” Amy and Alfie shouted, dropping to his side.  
Fritz’s crystal was flickering like a dying light. His eyes were sunken with dark gray circles. The glow in his purple eyes was faint. No matter what way Amy looked at it, Fritz was tired. “I can’t keep up…” he muttered. “The room is just messing with me now. My powers...they’re out of control. You were right, Alfie. I’ve been using them too much.”  
Alfie sighed. “I told you so, Fritz. You need to rest. If you take off the crystal, your room will go back to normal.” He held out his hand. “I’ll hold onto it for you for the time being.”  
Fritz put his hand to his chest and pulled. It seemed to cause him a lot of pain--he put his hand over the crystal’s spot, holding a gray, diamond-shaped jewel the size of his palm. Weakly, he placed it into Alfie’s hand. He yawned and closed his eyes again, placing both hands over his heart. He looked like a corpse.  
Amy was shocked. Fritz, her excitable, energetic new friend was...dead? Wait...then how was he still smiling. She looked at Alfie, who was staring at the crystal like he couldn’t believe it was in his hand. “I got it…” He muttered. “I finally got it!!” He stood up, holding it like a miser admiring his treasure. He laughed--slowly at first, but gaining speed and pitch until he sounded like a madman.  
This disgusted Amy. Any attraction she might have felt towards Alfie suddenly vanished. “He was your brother! How can you laugh like that??” She screamed at him. As if reacting to her feelings, clouds gathered and it started to rain. She closed her eyes and fell onto Fritz’s body, placing her hand by his. She felt something tingly, but hard as a rock. When she did, Fritz’s chest began shaking with a weird noise. It didn’t take her long to figure out that he was laughing.  
Soon, he was laughing so hard he had to sit up. As he did, the crystal in Alfie’s hand crumbled to dust. Alfie’s face contorted with shock and his hand seemed to twitch. “Amy, that tickles!” Fritz protested.  
Both Amy and Alfie stared at Fritz with shock. The gray crystal was still attached to Fritz’s chest. Before they could say anything else, he arched his back and acrobatically launched himself so he was standing up straight. With a mischievous smile, he said, “I’ve got to hand it to you; you do make a rather convincing Alfie. But I know my brother more than anyone. Even you, it seems.” He held out his hand and counted on his fingers. “One, my room is soundproofed. No one--and I mean no one can hear what’s going on if I don’t want them to. Two, the Chess Club had a practice, not a match. Three, Lulu quit the Chess Club for reason number four: she never won. Five, Alfie, without fail, would deny that Amy is his girlfriend. Six, if I actually were dying from power drainage--something that Alfie knows will never happen--the very last thing he’d say would be ‘I told you so,’ and seven; even if the crystal was fractured and the power was pouring from my chest, Alfie would absolutely never ask me to remove it.” He laughed. “A lot of small details, but even the small details add up. Good attempt, but not good enough.”  
Alfie’ face contorted even more in shock and rage. “So...so close…” He hissed. His body seemed to explode into darkness, leaving nothing but a vaguely anthropomorphic shadow with glowing, solid red eyes. A voice that was nothing like Alfie’s said, “You’re more clever than I gave you credit, Wielder of the Gray Crystal.” The voice was inhuman, but...somehow...vaguely feminine. “I’ve always enjoyed a good challenge. However, no matter how clever you may be, they all will be mine.” The shadow burst into nothingness, with a disembodied laugh echoing across the cliffs with a faint Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho.  
Definitely the weirdest laugh Amy’d ever heard. Instantly, the clouds parted and the sun warmed Amy. She felt herself dry off almost instantaneously. Fritz looked as worried as Amy felt. This, in turn, only made Amy even more worried. “Whoever that was...they’re powerful. Somehow they hacked into my room.” He and Amy walked to the door and Fritz pushed it open. Fritz went through first. When she was through, she turned around. Fritz’s room was surprisingly small and bare, with… a window? This really confused Amy because this was in the middle of the house. Then, with a start, she realized it was her room.  
Fritz smiled. “Interesting.”  
“What’s interesting?” Alfie asked. He was coming up from the staircase with his backpack slung over his shoulder. Unlike the fake Alfie, his face was tranquil to the point of expressionlessness, and his voice was calm to the point of monotony. He had one eyebrow raised. Then he sighed when Amy and Fritz just stared at him. “You two are really weird.” He walked forward and looked into Fritz’s room.  
“Surprisingly calm,” he commented. Looking at Amy, he let out a small, quiet chuckle. “Here I was worried that Fritz was going to make it some crazy wild adventure in like, a waterpark or something. Glad to see that you toned that crazy sense of adventure for Amy and are finally taking a page out of my book.”  
“Well...it didn’t quite work out that way,” Amy admitted bashfully.  
Both brothers looked at her. Alfie looked exasperated and tired, while Fritz looked shocked and frustrated. “Okay you two. We’re heading to my room. And on the way there, you’ll explain everything.”

Alfie’s room was quite nice. It even had its own balcony with a small coffee table. “So there’s a power equal to yours that’s working against you? And whatever it is, it tried to convince you to give up the crystal? That is pretty weird.”  
Amy cleared her throat. “Speaking of which, Fritz, you promised me you’d explain what was going on, right?”  
Fritz winced. “Oh yeah...I did say that, didn’t I?” He cleared his throat. “The short and simple version is this: I, Fitzgerald ‘Fritz’ Montenegro, have the ability to bend and shape reality to my will.”  
“...I want to be surprised but...I can’t. It explains too much.”  
“My feelings exactly.” Alfie said.  
Amy looked at him. “Does this mean you can bend reality too, Alfie? Because you and Fritz are twins?”  
Alfie shook his head. “Probably if Fritz had been born with his powers--we are identical twins, after all.”  
“He’s right. These powers weren’t something I was born with. Rather, they come from the crystal.” He pointed to the crystal on his chest. “There’s a whole story about how I found it, but right now I’m more concerned about what the shadow had said. ‘No matter how clever you may be, they all will be mine.’” He was so thoughtful it was out of character.  
Alfie cracked a small, distinct grin. “Well, if you need to find out anything important...go to the library.” He turned and saw that both Amy and Fritz had wandered back into the room and were lying on his couch. “Well...maybe tomorrow.”


	3. The Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A unexpected threat leads Amy and the brothers to the library, with Fritz having to stay disguised as a human boy. When they encounter someone whose sole goal is steal Fritz's crystal, can he defend himself?

Fritz woke up in an asteroid belt. This wasn’t the first time that this had happened, and he was more than certain that it wouldn’t be the last. However, in the two years he’d had the crystal, he’d learned that it knew exactly how he was feeling even when he didn’t. The asteroid belt distanced him from his door, which always meant one thing: he was dreading everything that would happen when he went through.  
As much as he loved seeing Amy and visiting the library, something was just making him nervous. He just had absolutely no idea what, though. Groaning, the hopped off of his bed into the endless void of space towards his closet. Luckily enough, he didn’t really need to breathe, but he wasn’t sure what would happen if Alfie tried to come in. Of course, Alfie wouldn’t enter without Fritz’s say-so. He was a turd, but he did respect Fritz’s space.  
Fritz’s closet didn’t look like more than a door floating by itself on an asteroid. When he landed, the asteroid rolled in the air. He grabbed onto the handle and opened the door. He was thankful that for once, his closet was normal, making it one less thing he had to worry about.  
Like usual, he stepped into his closet, and his clothes floated onto his body, flashing purple until he was in his favorite shirt--purple with striped sleeves, and gray/lavender pants.  
The knocking on his door seemed to resonate throughout the whole emptiness. “Fritz? Are you awake?” It was Amy’s voice, not Alfie’s. He hadn’t been expecting her this early.  
“Give me a second!” He shouted. He snapped his fingers, and then his room pulled itself together. It was still fairly large, but not as big as the asteroid belt or the water park from the day before. He opened the door to see Amy in a pink sundress with a rose pattern.  
“You’re wearing the same thing as before?” she asked. Fritz wasn’t even sure how she meant that to come out, but it was difficult not to take offense. He threw out his arms, and it became a short sleeve shirt with striped sleeves and shorts. “Is this better?”  
Amy smiled. “Much.” Her smile was genuine enough that Fritz was able to look past her bluntness. She told him, “Alfie wants you to make yourself look human, since I’m the only one outside of your family who knows about your powers.”  
Fritz smiled and Amy blinked in surprise. He’d turned into her. After a laugh, he took on the appearance he had before he had found the crystal. Well, a bit older. A thirteen-year-old was going to look much different than a fifteen-year-old.  
As they walked, Amy asked, “this is your first time out of the house, isn’t it?”  
Fritz chuckled, “Oh, not at all. I’ve been out plenty of times. I just have to disguise myself every time, though. At least this time, I actually get to look like myself.” Her look of confusion made him snicker.  
When they were downstairs, Addie and Alfie were waiting for them. They seemed to have been talking about something, and Alfie was blushing when Fritz saw him. “You look very nice today, Amy,” Alfie told Amy. Fritz looked at his friend and saw that she was blushing.  
Smiling, he said, “Alfie, you’re making your girlfriend blush!” As usual, Alfie’s face turned even redder than Amy’s.  
“She’s not my girlfriend!” Alfie protested. “Why do you keep saying that!?”  
Amy laughed. “Alfie, you do realize that he’d probably stop saying that if you stopped reacting to it.”  
Alfie’s face flushed even more. Fritz asked, “Have you guys already eaten breakfast?”  
Amy, Alfie, and Addie all nodded. Fritz’s stomach growled, which prompted Addie to ask, “do you want me to make some breakfast for you before you leave?”  
“Nah, I can do it.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of bacon. “I’ll eat on the way there.” He walked to the door. However, before he could open it, Alfie cleared his throat.  
“Fritz, two things: one, your crystal is showing, and two, you can’t go and use your powers in public. Either eat here or find some way to eat it discreetly on the way there. You have to remember that your powers aren’t common knowledge.” Alfie was stern, as always. Though, Fritz had hoped that he’d notice. He was really dreading go to the library but he still couldn’t put his finger on why.  
“Fritz.” Alfie’s voice grew even more stern and his stare was even more intense. “If you don’t want to come if you don’t want to, but we’re leaving and Aunt Adelaide is, too. You’ll have to stay home by yourself.” Alfie knew full well he hated being alone, but he still was uneasy about going. Right before he left, Alfie turned around and grinned. “Besides, don’t you want to find out about your crystal?”  
There were times that Fritz couldn’t argue with his brother. Unfortunately, this was one of those times. Gently, he pressed his index finger against the outwards point of the crystal. It pushed against his chest for a moment, before giving in and sinking beneath his skin. It wasn’t visible anymore, but he could still feel it. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. He turned the bacon into an apple. Biting it, it still tasted like bacon.  
Alfie nodded. “Works for me. Let’s get going,” he told Amy and Fritz. FAmy followed with excitement, but Fritz walked at a slower pace. Amy turned around, and without a word, grabbed Fritz’s hand and pulled him along. “We’ll take the bus, alright, guys?”  
“Okie doke!” Amy exclaimed.  
“Sure thing,” Fritz agreed. There was a stop at the end of the street, and Fritz had to resist making a moving sidewalk to get them there faster. With Amy and Alfie, the dread he felt seemed to dissipate a little, though. There was something about having them with him made him feel stronger. When they finally arrived at the bus stop, a bus immediately pulled up and they climbed on. Alfie gave Fritz a suspicious look as they climbed on. Fritz swung into the first seat behind the door. Amy sat across the aisle from him, and Alfie sat next to her so that she was by the window.  
Immediately after sitting down, Alfie asked, “Fritz, did you make this bus come up so we wouldn’t have to wait?”  
Fritz winked. “Maybe…” He actually hadn’t, but it was still fun to mess with Alfie’s head a bit. When Alfie’s eyes narrowed, it made Fritz giggle. There was no end to the entertainment that teasing Alfie brought.  
“Fritz…” Alfie muttered, making Fritz laugh.  
“Don’t worry, bro, it was just a coincidence. I’m not going to do something that obvious,” Fritz told Alfie jovially, making Amy laugh. Alfie cracked a grin, though it looked more of a relieved kind.  
Seeing his brother like that, Fritz remembered Alfie’s reaction when he’d first used his powers. The fear and worry that he’d seen had caused his powers to collapse completely. As he thought about it, he gently touched where the crystal usually sat on his chest. The one thing he hated about it was the rift that finding it had driven between the two of them.  
Amy looked out the window and gasped. “So pretty! I haven’t had much of a chance to look around the town since we moved here...I love it!” Both Fritz and Alfie smiled and looked at her. “Oh!! I wanna go there! And there! And there! Tres bien!”  
“Fritz and I have a cafe that we always go to. Maybe after checking the library we can head there?” Alfie suggested. “It’s small, but it’s very quaint and cozy. I’m sure you’d love it.”  
"If I’m with you two, I’m more than positive I will,” Amy replied, blushing.  
It was painful how obvious these two were without the other realizing it. However, Fritz knew from experience that if he tried to use his powers to bring them together, things would blow up in his face. After Alfie did, of course.  
“Actually, after we go to the library, I’m just going to head straight home. You guys can go to the cafe together if you want, though!” Fritz had to keep his voice as unsuspicious as possible. Why? To make Alfie all the more suspicious, of course.  
Nothing was quite as fun as messing with Alfie, after all. When Alfie’s head twirled and and his eyes narrowed, Fritz just giggled and wiggled his fingers. Amy pouted, “But Fritz...you make everything more fun.”  
Alfie looked slightly disappointed, but Fritz was surprised. Slightly sarcastically, he asked, “Is it because I have awe-inspiring powers, or my shining personality and award-winning smile?” He smiled at them, briefly showing off his pointed fangs.  
“Fritz,” Alfie hissed. “ The bus driver is gonna see you!” The all looked up at the driver, who wasn’t paying attention to them at all. Now, Fritz knew that Alfie was less than enthusiastic about his powers, but this went past even Alfie’s general realm of anxiety.  
Fritz closed his mouth and changed his teeth back to normal. “Alfie...what’s up? You’re acting more high-strung than usual. Besides, we both know I’m smart enough not to let anyone know about my powers. Don’t you have any faith in me?”  
The looks on Alfie’s and Amy’s faces were shocked, and Alfie even looked a bit hurt. Amy just looked like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He looked at her and said, “maybe this wasn’t such a good idea...maybe I should just go back home. Would be easy enough…”  
“Don’t talk that way,” Alfie scolded. “You know I don’t mean it like that.”  
There were a few awkward minutes of silence before Amy cleared her throat. “So...um...anything else fun to do in town?”  
“There’s a big mall a few blocks from the library. It has just about everything you can think of!” Fritz told her. “It’s really great, and no one cares if you playfully let your powers slip slightly.”  
Alfie scoffed with disdain as the bus pulled to a stop. “We’re here.”  
They got off in an awkward silence, all three of them staring at the library. It was a grand, impressive building, and a staple in the city’s history. “Wow!!” Amy gasped after what seemed to be a full minute. “It’s so amazing!!”  
“It’s my favorite place in the whole city,” Alfie agreed. The three of them walked forward, and he continued, “My chess club meets here every saturday, and I haven’t missed a meeting yet! Well, aside from the occasional family emergency.”  
“Cool!” Amy laughed. She turned to Fritz. “Do you play chess?” she asked.  
“Nah; I’m more into card games. There’s yet a person who can beat me at go fish. And no, I do not cheat,” he clarified. After they climbed up the steps to the library, both brothers moved to open the door. Fritz stepped aside, as to let Alfie assume the role of gentleman.  
Amy gratefully walked through the door, and the brothers followed. Fritz could feel himself smiling when he heard Amy’s excited gasp. “It’s beautiful!” She laughed. “I’ve been in a lot of libraries, but this one takes the cake and eats it too!”  
Fritz snickered, “what was that last part?”  
Amy just shrugged. “I like combining phrases in weird ways--it’s my thing.”  
“Your thing…” Fritz replied sarcastically. “Right…”  
“I thought it was funny,” Alfie defended, giving Fritz a harsh look.   
Fritz rolled his eyes. “Amy knew I was joking, right?” He turned to Amy, who nodded. She seemed distracted and didn’t say anything, just put her fingers to her lips.   
“Sorry,” Fritz whispered.  
“It’s fine. Let’s look around, okay?” Her voice was distant and breathless. “If you two are okay, let’s find out if there’s any information on the crystals, Fritz’s powers, or those shadows from Fritz’s room.”  
Alfie followed, but Fritz stayed behind. “Maybe we could...not??” The cold dread was stronger than ever, but it felt like it was all coming from the crystal. Usually, Fritz wasn’t bothered by these kinds of things, but it felt like the crystal was tearing itself out of its chest. Looking to make sure that neither Amy nor Alfie were watching, he let it slide out slightly.  
Immediately, the feeling changed from dread to a sense of...direction. Somehow, he had to let Amy and Alfie know. Without, of course, anyone else finding out. He slid up the collar of his shirt, effectively (and painlessly) hiding his crystal. When he walked to where they were standing, he heard Amy’s distressed voice. “What do you mean? There isn’t a book at all about the magic, reality-bending crystal?”  
The librarian looked as stressed as Amy was. “I’m sorry, dear. Unless you’re talking about some sort fantasy story, but that’s not like any story I’ve ever heard before.” She saw Fritz and beamed. “Fritz! My dear it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”  
Fritz blushed and nodded. “Um…Alfie, Amy, can I talk to you both for a second or two?” before they could respond, he grabbed them and pulled them along with him. Even without using his powers he was still quite strong.  
“Fritz?” Alfie asked. “What’s up?”  
Fritz pulled down his collar to show them the crystal. Alfie gasped, saying, “Fritz! What if someone sees that!?” and lunging forward to cover it up.  
“Alfie! It’s fine. I just have a feeling that the crystal is trying to lead us to whatever book we need to find!” Fritz whispered back. “Look, the crystal’s never led me wrong before. If we can follow it now then maybe we can find whatever it is that we’re looking for.”  
This made Alfie scoff. “Vague much?”  
Fritz glared. “Sorry that I don’t have much to work off of! Besides, isn’t the whole point of this to try to find out what is up with my crystal and powers?” When Alfie couldn’t respond, he continued, “Alfie, it’s okay to have reservations, but sometimes you let the reservations block the path of discovery.”  
Amy patted Alfie’s shoulder. She told him, “Fritz is being careful. He is keeping the crystal under his shirt and he’s only shown it to us. We just have to trust him, alright?”  
Alfie sighed. “Fine. Where is the crystal telling you to go?”  
Fritz smiled and started walking. Alfie was tense, but he didn’t grab at the crystal again, which Fritz appreciated. Before long, they were in the oldest part of the library, so tall and and elegant it reminded Fritz of a castle. The bookshelf they were facing was part of the history section. “Here,” Fritz said definitively.  
Alfie looked at the books. “I mean…sure this is an old part of the library, but I’ve read all these books before. Are you sure?”  
Fritz grinned. “When I meant here, I didn’t mean here, here.” The crystal began shining, and he reached forward, touching a book entitled “Gems & Minerals”. A line of gray light drew itself through the shelves, drawing a rectangle. The rectangle opened like a door, slowly swinging open and revealing a long, dark hallway.  
“Um...Fritz?” Amy asked. “Please tell me you made this creepy hallway in the library?” She said it like a joke, but Fritz could hear the fear in her voice. The tug of the crystal grew even stronger, and in a flash of gray light, he was back in his usual gray-skinned form.  
“Nope, not me,” He commented, before walking forward. His crystal made enough light to see that the hallway was actually a staircase. He began moving downward, and soon heard two pairs of shoes tapping behind him.  
“Took you long enough!” He teased. “Now, let’s get to the bottom of this!” He snapped his fingers, and instantly they were at the bottom of the stairs. He heard Amy giggle, but Alfie didn’t make a sound.  
“Wait, why is there a river?” Alfie asked. Sure enough, there was a line of running water right beside them. Well, right beside and down off of a ledge.  
Amy sniffed and gagged. “Trust me, that is not a river. We’re in the sewers!”  
The water was certainly interesting (and smelly), but the feeling in the crystal urged Fritz to move forward. “Come on, guys, we’re nearly there…” he kept walking. With surprised shouts, Alfie and Amy caught up to him.  
He was heading up another set of stairs, until he came up to a wooden doorframe, but with no door. He stepped into wooden hallway, which was just as long and dark as the staircase they’d left. “Ugh,” He groaned. “We need some light!” he snapped his fingers, and small, gray ghostly flames lit up by the ceiling.  
“Gee, Fritz, thanks for making it so much better,” Alfie scoffed.  
“You’re welcome!” Fritz agreed. He was about to go along when he heard Amy whimpering. She was looking at the small flames then down the hall, then holding onto Alfie. He realized that he really wasn’t making things better. He snapped his fingers again, and the flames turning into wall lights. “Is that better, Amy?” He asked concernedly.  
“It...it wasn’t that…” she said. “I just felt a sudden pang of terror. It was...unbelievably awful.” She relaxed some, then commented, “I don’t think we’re alone, here.”  
Wait...Fritz told himself. She’d mistaken me for a ghost back at home, and it seems like she believes in ghosts. He looked at Alfie, and realized that he was thinking the same thing. “Don’t worry, Amy, I’m sure any ghost we’ll meet is friendly.”  
“I-I’m not afraid of ghosts!” Amy suddenly defended.  
The brothers shrugged at each other and the three of them continued moving forward, until they came up to a door. Fritz and Alfie shared a look, then together, they twisted the handle and went inside.  
The room was actually decently lit, and it looked like a part of the library--a part that had been long forgotten. “Whoa…” Alfie muttered. “It’s amazing…”  
Amy turned to on of the shelves and pulled off a book. “Tips and Tricks for Catching Fairies.” she looked at the others. “Demon Hunting for Dummies. Arcane Spells Made Easy. Kitchen Magic: Simple Homemade Potion Recipes. Huh. All these are about...magic…”  
“Well, it’s no wonder,” Alfie commented. Fritz and Amy walked over to him, and Alfie pointed to a sign that read “Magic.” He added, “I didn’t even know the library had a magic section.”  
“I thought magic wasn’t real,” Amy said, sounding confused.  
Fritz laughed. “Um...Amy?” when she turned, he pointed to the crystal. “I think I’m living proof that magic is real.” The crystal was shining even brighter than before, and the light was hitting one specific book on the shelves. For whatever reason, Fritz didn’t feel compelled to grab it. Instead, Amy walked up slowly, taking slow, cautious steps, before grabbing it and pulling it off.  
Reading the cover, she said, “A Wielder’s Guide to the Crystals of Reality.” She looked at Fritz with wide eyes. She turned the book, showing him and Alfie the cover: it was purple with a golden ring. Embedded in the ring were six small gems in brilliant colors. Inside of the ring were three shapes: a white triangle, a black pentagon, and a gray diamond. The diamond was in the center, with the triangle above it and the pentagon underneath.  
“Oh-ho-ho-ho!” That laugh--Fritz recognized it from the person who’d attacked his room. “Thank you so much for finding the book for me. I’ve been dying to give it a good read!”  
Fritz noticed some movement in the shadows. Without thinking, his arm stretched and pulled her over, right before the shadowy arm grabbed Amy’s ankle and pulled her in. He and Alfie stood protectively around her. “Show yourself!” Alfie shouted.  
“All in due time, Alfredo,” the voice giggled. “I must say, your bond as brothers is very interesting. You fight and bicker, but know each other so well that Fitzgerald wasn’t fooled by disguise at all!” Alfie turned to Fritz, and Fritz smiled. Alfie looked so touched that he was about to cry.  
“That’s because we’re twins!” Fritz shouted. “No matter how much we fight, Alfie and I love each other and will always have each other’s backs!” His crystal shined brightly, brighter than it had ever shone before.  
A pair of glowing red eyes opened in the shadows. “Well, then. Color me impressed.” The girl walked forward, and Fritz’s eyes nearly popped out his skull.  
“She...you...you look like me!” He gasped.  
Well, sort of. She had the same pointed ears, claw-like fingernails, and sharp fangs as Fritz, but that’s where the similarities stopped. She had long gray hair and ebony-black skin, glowing red eyes with pentagon-shaped pupils, and a black, pentagonal on her belly where her belly button would have been.  
Her outfit was strange, but pretty; her shirt had a burgundy, poncho-like collar and long red sleeves with burgundy cuffs, and was cut off at the midriff in an upwards point. Her skirt had a burgundy waist and was red in the middle, but burgundy at the end. She wore burgundy, knee-length socks and red flats.  
“Actually, my dear, you look like me,” this girl corrected with a condescending laugh. “After all, I’ve had my crystal much longer than you’ve had yours!” She snapped her fingers, and Alfie pushed Amy out of the way as an anvil crashed onto where they’d been standing.  
She had the same powers that Fritz did; this did not bode well. “How...how did you break into my room!?” He bellowed.  
The girl shrugged. “I didn’t actually break into your room. Physically I wasn’t even there! If you ever get a chance, learn how to make henchmen! Saves so much time and effort.” Suddenly she laughed like she heard an impossibly funny joke. “What am I saying? You don’t have any time at all!” Her fist glowed red, and she lunged at Fritz.  
In surprise, Fritz held out his palm. A small, purple shield appeared, that deflected the girl’s punch and knocking her back. “You’re proficient, I’ll give you that, but proficiency doesn’t beat experience!” the girl summoned spheres of red energy, which she launched at him.  
Fritz snapped his fingers, and summoned a glowing purple baseball bat. He hit each sphere, knocking them back at the girl. She wasn’t able to dodge, but laughed in enjoyment. “I haven’t had this much fun in ages!” The energy disappeared and she brushed off her skirt before holding out her hand. “For entertaining me, I’ll allow you to hand me the book.”  
Amy held onto it tightly, while Alfie and Fritz stood between her and the other girl. The girl laughed again. “Playing the knights in shining armor, are you?” she snapped her fingers, and suddenly Fritz and Alfie were tied up in glowing red chains.  
Step by step, she slowly walked forward. She was as tall as Fritz and Alfie and as such towered over Amy. Leering down, the girl asked, “Why don’t you be a nice little lady and hand over that book?”  
Fritz got angry. The crystal seemed to burn against his chest. Purple cracks lit up on the red chains. He struggled, and the chains exploded apart. Floating in the air, he turned and said, “No.” Snapping his fingers, he pulled Amy and Alfie behind him in flashes of purple light.  
The girl appraised him. “Well, you seem to be powerful, but there’s no way you’ll escape me.”  
“We’ll see about that.” With Fritz floating behind them, Alfie and Amy ran out the door. Going back, the hallway seemed longer and twistier than it had when they’d been running forward. The gray wall lights were dimming with flickering light. For a moment, they all turned off, causing Fritz’s crystal to be the only light source.  
“Oh-ho-ho-ho!” A red light lit up on the floor, becoming a large, swirling circle of red. From this circle arose the girl, laughing. “What did I tell you? There’s no way you’ll escape me!” She floated in the middle of the hall, and seemed to take up the entire space.  
Her powers were like his. She could do what he could do. So, logically, he could do what she could do. He moved in front of Amy and Alfie, and grew in size until the girl was as small as a pea. Amy and Alfie grew with him, as did the hallway.  
Someone tapped his shoulder, and he spun around the see the girl smiling behind him. “Nice try, but still not enough. There’s only one way in and one way out of these mazes, and you have no idea what it is.”  
This girl had come in through floor...by a portal. Grinning, he said, “Don’t count me out so quickly.” In the air beside him, he drew a cross-like shape with his finger, imagining that he was cutting through the fabric of space itself. Thin light lines appeared, which flapped open to a swirling, diamond-shaped portal like the girl’s.  
When the girl’s eyes went wide, he stretched his arms, grabbed his friends, and pushed them through the portal, saying, “Catch ya on the flipside!” before turning back to face the girl.  
She looked irritated but gave a painful smile. “Well played, Fritz. You are certainly a worthy adversary. But let me give you a warning: you haven’t seen the last of Haywire.” A new red portal appeared beneath her feet, and she sunk down into it.  
With a shrug, Fritz jumped through his new purple portal, to a surprising sight; Amy and Alfie were side-by side in front of the portal. Around them were several people, many of which were close to their age, though there were a few librarians staring with shocked expressions.  
“Yeah...I think they saw us,” Alfie commented.  
After a moment, Amy commented, “Oh well, c’est la vie!” She walked up to the counter and slammed the book down. “I’d like to check this out, please!”  
The librarian blinked, tore her eyes from Fritz, and looked at the book. “A Wielder’s Guide to the Crystals of Reality? I’ve never heard of that one. I don’t think it’s one of ours, so you can keep it, my dear.”  
Amy beamed excitedly and joined the boys. Together they walked out the door. Since the cat was out of the bag, Fritz saw no reason to turn human. Everyone outside, like everyone in the library, was staring. Fritz didn’t say anything; he just walked down the stairs and to the bus stop.  
When Amy and Alfie caught up with him, Amy asked, “Fritz, are you okay?”  
Fritz shrugged and laughed. “If I was bothered by people staring at me, I’d never go outside!” He thought for a moment. “Why are we waiting for a bus?” he made another portal and stepped to the side. “Ladies first,” he commented. Amy smiled and stepped through the portal. Turning to Alfie, he commented, “Look, my powers aren’t a secret anymore. Do you really want to take the bus?”  
Alfie chuckled, “No, no I do not,” he admitted before stepping up. “Look, Fritz...I’m sorry. About everything. I felt it was my job to protect you, but...I suppose you’ve always been protecting me.” he hugged Fritz tightly before stepping through.  
Fritz smiled and stepped in after them. When he was through, he saw Amy turn and smile. “You know what this means!?”  
“We have information about the crystals?”  
“Well, that, and you can enroll in school with us!” Amy laughed. “My two best friends in school with me!! I can’t wait!”  
Fritz couldn’t help but to smile at her enthusiasm.


	4. The School Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the reveal of Haywire, Alfie, Amy, and Fritz have to keep on their guards and try to find the White Crystal before she can. At the same time, they need to worry about Fritz's first day at school--after all, he's been missing for two years

Fritz was ready to start the day. It was the first day of school he’d had ever since first finding the crystal, and he was stoked to get his life going again. Before the blink of an eye, he was in the dining room, chowing down on pancakes with Alfie and Aunt Addie. Alfie was eating indiscriminately as well; now that they’d faced their issues Alfie was more willing to participate in Fritz’s powers.  
“It’s wonderful that you’re excited to go back to school,” Addie told him, “but aren’t you concerned about your powers being public knowledge now?” Addie had already talked with the boys’ parents about the library incident, and they were surprisingly understanding.  
“Nope.” Fritz replied. “I promise I won’t use my powers to cheat, hurt anyone, or disrupt the learning process.” He, Amy, and Alfie had already discussed this, and they all agreed this was the best option.  
Addie nodded. “You’ve become so responsible with that crystal, it’s almost alarming.” She stood up. “I have to head to work. Fritz, will you clean up, please?” Standing, she gave both Fritz and Alfie a kiss, then headed out the door.  
The brothers finished their food, and with a snap of Fritz’s fingers, it was like they hadn’t eaten at all. Alfie laughed, “who needs a maid when they have Fritz the magnificent?”  
Fritz raised an eyebrow. “Call me that again and you’ll be cleaning up after breakfast from here on out.” With a small chuckle, Alfie put up his hands and shook his head. When they both had their bags, they went out the front door, surprising an unexpecting Amy.  
“Hi guys! I thought we could all go to school together!” She was holding the book they’d found in the library, her thumb on a specific page. “Mind if we walk?”  
Alfie checked his watch. “I don’t know, Amy. The school’s kind of far to try to walk there. We don’t have enough time.” His eyes widened when Fritz made the clock slow down.  
“Time isn’t an issue when you have reality on your side,” Fritz laughed. Alfie looked concerned for a second, then shrugged and joined the others.  
“So, I’ve been reading this book,” Amy explained as they walked. “Fritz, as you’ve already guessed, the crystal on your chest is a reality-warping crystal known as a Crystal of Reality.”  
“Yeah, I kind of guessed,” Fritz snickered, tapping the book’s cover, which had a symbol that represented the crystal he had.  
Amy rolled her eyes with a grin. “Well, there are three in total: the Crystal of Instinct, the Crystal of Heart, and the Crystal of Mind.”  
“Does Fritz have the Crystal of Instinct?” Alfie asked. “He never seems to follow logic and does whatever he feels like.” The brothers locked eyes for a moment, but Fritz had to admit that Alfie had a point.  
“No, actually Fritz has the Crystal of Heart,” Amy showed them a drawing in the book. It resembled Ancient Egyptian pictures, but of a gray-skinned, white-haired pharaoh with a gray jewel attached to his chest. He was depicted dancing with a lion. “The Crystal of Heart, or the Gray Crystal, bonds itself with individuals who trust their emotions and follow their heart. The gray color of the Crystal and all who wield it reflects its position as being both like the Crystals of Instinct and Mind, as well as the foggy nature one’s heart tends to have.” She commented, “I think that sounds like you, Fritz. You do what your emotions tell you to do what’s right.”  
This made Fritz blush a little. “Thanks, Amy. You said there are three crystals...which one does Haywire have?” He remembered the dark, taunting girl with the black jewel on her belly.  
“The Crystal of Instinct.” She flipped to another page, showing a greek mosaic. It depicted a young girl with pitch black skin and a black pentagon on her stomach. She was holding an impossibly large sword, facing a god-like entity. “The Crystal of Instinct, or the Black Crystal, bonds itself with anyone who trusts their instincts and follow their gut. The black color of the Crystal reflects the frightening, sometimes violent nature of instincts, as well as how random and unpredictable one's’ instincts can be. Sounds like Haywire to me,” she added.  
“Well, what we know about her, at least,” Alfie agreed. “She’s said that she’s an expert with her Crystal, but it raises the question of why she’d need the book. I mean, what expert needs an instruction manual?”  
“Aren’t there things that you and Fritz have learned from trial and error?” Amy asked. “My guess is that Haywire has had a lot of trial and error, considering she has the Crystal of Instinct.”  
Fritz sighed. “She looks the same age as us! I can’t tell if she’s had the Crystal since she was little, or if she stopped aging!” He groaned. “But let’s forget that. What’s the third crystal, again?”  
“The Crystal of Mind,” Amy replied. “To be honest, I can’t find much out about that one, except that it’s the White Crystal, it’s triangular, and there hasn’t been a Wielder for it for millennia.”  
Alfie whistled. “Sounds like a big deal.”  
“Well, kind of. All three of the Crystals are equally powerful and have all of the same limitations, but the more Crystals one person has, the more powerful they become. The last Wielder of the White Crystal sealed it away so that it could only be found by someone truly worthy of its power.”  
Though the last part unnerved Fritz, he decided not to focus on it. “What kind of limitations do I have?”  
“Well, for one, you. You can’t do anything outside of your realm of comprehension. Anything you can imagine, you can do. Anything you can’t imagine is impossible. Next is the strain of the Crystal. If you use your powers too much without recovering, you’ll exhaust yourself. After that, it’s much harder to change things about yourself. Physically is moderately difficult, but trying to change who you are as a person isn’t fathomable.” Amy was reading the book as she walked. “And there’s also a limit to how far you can bend reality. If you bend it too far, it breaks.”  
“What happens if Fritz breaks reality?”Alfie asked.  
“Doesn’t say,” Amy replied, “but we’re here now.”  
Fritz looked, realized she was right, and snapped his fingers to speed up time again. The three friends walked towards the school. All eyes turned to stare at him, the gray-skinned kid with white hair and purple eyes. In response, he smiled and said, “Hey, guys! I’m back!”  
“Fritz!” One of the more mischievous kids in class pulled Fritz in for a tight hug. “It’s been two years, dude! Where have you been? What happened, man?”  
“Yeah, I know it’s been a while, Jack. I’ve been cooped up in my room, trying to keep myself from going crazy with boredom and loneliness. What happened is I found a magical gray crystal that lets me warp reality.” They continued walking, though Alfie and Amy walked behind as Fritz and Jack caught up. “Did you have a growth spurt, dude? You’re huge!” Last time Fritz had seen Jack, he’d been as skinny as Fritz was. Now he looked like he could easily lift a bus.  
Jack laughed, “I started working out! Yeah, I’m a total babe-magnet, now!” He laughed at his own joke. “But in all seriousness, I feel much better. Healthier, honestly. I’m glad I stopped starving myself.”  
Fritz patted his friend’s shoulder. “I like this new you! You’re very solid!” Jack kind of reminded Fritz of some professional wrestlers. He wasn’t “sculpted” but he looked strong. “Oh! Jack, have you met Amy?” he stepped aside and Jack turned to see her.  
“Oh yeah, you’re the new girl! Nice job in French on friday. Do you think you could tutor me?” It might have sounded like flirting, but Fritz knew that Jack was being genuine.  
“Sure!” Amy happily replied. Chattering away, the four of them headed inside.

Like Fritz expected, everyone aside from Jack was treating him differently. The story of how he’d hopped through a portal in the library. Everyone knew he had powers, but no one know how powerful he was, and he was positive they were scared to find out.  
It was simultaneously hilarious and disappointing seeing everyone’s reactions to his powers. In French Class, when Mrs. Watson said, “Gâteau,” he made a cake appear on her desk, causing her to jump out of her skin with a shriek.  
Mr. Davis didn’t appreciate the Rafflesia Flower in Biology.  
Ms. Richards told Fritz to get rid of the 14 oranges he summoned in Algebra.  
Mr. Brown was not pleased about being “immersed” in the biography of Napoleon in History.  
By lunch, Fritz was downtrodden and worn out. When he got his tray, it was a cheeseburger, fries, and canned fruit. He sat next to Amy and Alfie with a sigh. Alfie asked, “You okay, bro?”  
“Yeah…” he put his chin on the table. “I just thought I’d be better received than this.”  
“Fritz, you took the entire History Class through the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. I think it was a miracle that no one was shot while that happened,” Amy told him. “I know you’re more than capable of safely using your powers, but I think you might be going slightly overboard.”  
“I don’t know what you mean,” Fritz told her, turning his burger into a reuben, his fries into a baked potato, and his fruit into a small strawberry shortcake. He left his milk the same, but grew the carton.  
“Fritz, no one has seen you with your powers before today. Remember how Amy reacted when she first saw them? You have got to go slowly and try not to overwhelm anyone,” Alfie explained.   
Of course, Fritz’s reaction was annoyed. He groaned and rolled his eyes, before saying, “I’m just trying to make things interesting…” He looked away. Alfie took a deep breath, nd turned away from him.  
“Amy, did you find anything else out about the Crystals that we should know about?” Alfie asked Amy.  
Amy nodded. “Remember the limits I told you about? And remember how Haywire said she’d have all three? If anyone does, the limits go away and the Wielder’s power becomes absolute. There’s nothing they won’t be able to do.”  
Alfie’s eyes widened “Is that why Haywire is after Fritz’s crystal?”  
Frit lifted his head, and Amy continued, “However, no one can take the crystal from you. You have to remove it willingly in order for Haywire to get her hands on it. As long as your willpower is greater than hers, that won’t happen, and we can rest easy; there’s no way that Haywire would ever find the White Crystal. No Wielder can...by themself, at least. Someone else has to pass the seven Trials of Emotion. Because Haywire--and Fritz, for that matter--already have Crystals, there’s really no need to prove that you are worthy of another one.”  
With a chuckle, Alfie nodded. “Sounds legit.”  
“But here’s the kicker: if Haywire gets her hands on the Gray Crystal, she can bypass the Trials of Emotion and go straight to the White one. Or, more dangerously, if she gets her hands on the White Crystal...well, let’s just say the power of two crystals surpasses the power of one.”  
Fritz put his hand on his crystal, and though it felt cold. “So you’re saying that if Haywire has two Crystals, there’s nothing stopping her from finding the third?”  
“Pretty much, and when she finds the third, her power is absolute.” Amy grimly told them. “I mean, I know I said there’s no way Haywire could find the Crystal, but that was me kind of exaggerating. The only way to keep her from it is to find it ourselves, and that involves passing the Trials of Emotion.”  
“How do we do that?” Alfie asked Amy. “Because if this is our only chance of stopping Haywire, we need to take it.”  
Amy shrugged. “All the book says is that we need a Trial Medallion and a Wielder. The Trials themselves involve facing your emotions. The seven are the Trials of Rage, Joy, Fear, Envy, Sadness, Peace, and Pride. All seven have to be passed to find the White Crystal.”  
“So we don’t know when or where these trials will be, nor what they entail? Does it at least say where this Trial Medallion is kept?” Alfie’s voice was tense. Fritz knew that his brother didn’t like working with such a small amount of information. To him, it was like throwing fate to the wind.  
“Um...no. It’s...kind of difficult to explain, but it says that the Medallion will reveal itself to whomever it decides is ready to take on the Trials. But there’s a warning--once you start the Trials, you have to pass them all.” Her voice was serious and grim, even more than before.  
“I mean, that’s kind of obvious,” Alfie commented. “Aren’t trials made to be passed?”  
“No, Alfie, what it means is that you have to pass every single Trial individually. You don’t get any redos. If you fail even one of the Trials of Emotion, you lose all chance to find the White Jewel.”  
“So...it’s all or nothing, huh?” Fritz asked. His voice came out surprisingly grim. “So we have to find someone who can pass all seven trials, while at the same time making sure that Haywire doesn’t get ahold of my Crystal, along with the book?” He felt exhausted just thinking about it. “That sounds like a tall order, even for me.” In a flash he wolfed down his food and felt a whole lot better. Not perfect, but better.  
The bell rang, and the three of them stood up. “What class do you guys have next?” Frit asked.  
“Gym,” Amy and Alfie answered in unison. They looked at each other in surprise and laughed.  
“Cool! Me too!” Fritz laughed. “It’ll be really cool to finally be able to win at dodgeball! And no, Alfie, I’m not going to cheat. Remember that for an hour every day while I was locked up in the house, I’d turn my room into a gym. I’m BUFF!” In an instant his muscles were exaggeratedly huge.  
People were staring, but Alfie and Amy laughed. With a giggle, Fritz deflated the muscles until he was his normal size. As they started walking, he said, “All joking aside, though, I am a lot stronger than before. Not just from the Crystal.”  
“Speaking of,” Alfie said, “you’re not going to like who’s in our gym class.”   
When Fritz looked at him, Alfie pointed forward. In front of them was a large, bulky jock who was laughing with his friends. Seeing him, Fritz groaned. “Damien…” he sighed.  
As if he was listening, Damien turned and smiled at them. “Well well, well. If it isn’t Fritz-a-boo and Alfalfa.” Both brothers rolled their eyes, but stiffened as he came up. “And, of course. The ever-lovely Amelie Lamond.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it.  
Amy pulled her hand away. “First of all, it’s Amy. Second of all, we only met on friday. Third, if you’re going to be rude to my friends, then don’t bother trying to flirt with me!” She flipped her hair and stepped around him, leaving him and the twins awestruck.  
Damien chuckled, “Man, I do love a fiery girl!” he said as she walked off.  
Fritz watched Alfie’s face twitch. “Didn’t you hear her? She’s not interested,” Alfie growled. Fritz had never seen his brother this wound up before, but the thought made him giggle silently.  
At first, Damien was taken aback, then he chuckled in a condescending way. “Maybe not now...but soon enough she will be.”  
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Alfie practically hissed, getting closer than Fritz ever would have been comfortable.   
When Damien began to sneer, Fritz popped between the two of them and pushed them apart. “Guys! Instead of arguing over who Amy should like, why don’t the two of you agree to let her decide? It’s not your, my, or anyone else’s place to decide that!”  
Both of them looked at Fritz in surprise, then Damien snickered and pushed Fritz’s face. “Shove off, Glitchy. This is none of your business.” Leering at Alfie, he added, “and I accept your challenge. First one to win over Amy wins.” Laughing, he walked into the gym.  
“But that’s--” Fritz sighed, then growled. “One of these days, I’m going to turn him into a giant hedgehog.” As he and Alfie walked together, he said, “Alfie, I need you to promise me something.”  
“Yeah, Fritz?” Alfie asked.  
“For Amy’s sake, don’t compete with Damien. You need to consider her feelings. Now that Damien sees you as...competition, he’ll be laying it hard on her. And from everything we know about her, she is not going to appreciate it.” They were at the locker room door.  
“Okay, I promise,” Alfie agreed. “So, are you going to change?”  
Fritz snapped his fingers and instantly he was in his gym clothes. “No need.” He watched Alfie snicker then turn into the locker room. No one else was ready yet, so all by himself, Fritz walked into the main gym.  
“Fritz Montenegro, as I live and breathe.” Fritz turned to see his gym teacher--Coach Rivers--sitting on the bleachers. “Haven’t seen you in a while--what made you decide to come back?”  
Fritz shrugged. “My aunt agreed that as long as I could keep my powers under control I’d be allowed to come back.” Without even moving he teleported beside the coach and asked, “So, whatcha doing?”  
Coach Rivers jumped a bit, but he chuckled. “Powers, huh? Some of the other teachers said you were causing weird things to happen today. Not to mention the new hair, gray skin, purple eyes, pointy ears, and some kind of crystal attached to your chest.” He glanced at the Crystal, before turning back to his papers. “You gonna do your thing in here?”  
“Nah; I want to show people what I can do without using the Crystal.” Fritz explained. “I don’t want to show off too much until later.” He chuckled. “Also, I’ve been pushing my powers a bit much so I could use a break.  
“Oh, so my class is the break, huh?”  
“Throwing a dodgeball is easier than summoning Napoleon’s life,” he commented.  
Rivers shrugged. “Fair enough. How’d you know we were playing dodgeball today, though?”  
“It’s Monday,” Fritz called from the floor. “I’ve had you as a gym teacher before, you know!” He saw Coach Rivers point to where he’d been sitting to where he was standing now and blink in confusion. By now, the other students were filing into the gym from the locker rooms.  
“Alright, guys, team up!” he shouted. Like always, the class was divided down the middle--popular and unpopular. Amy chose the side with Fritz and Alfie, much to Damien’s disappointment. Rivers blew the whistle and everyone began playing.  
Unlike most of his team, Fritz barreled forward. Alfie, and Amy ran up with him. He got up to the line before anyone else, and got two people out in less than a minute. A few of the people on the other team backed up in surprise, but Damien’s eyes narrowed. He threw a ball directly at Fritz. Fritz, without blinking, deflected it with a ball he was holding--one that he then threw and hit Damien with.  
“Hey!” Damien shouted. “Fritz is using his powers to cheat!”  
“No he’s not!” Amy argued. “He specifically said that he wasn’t going to use his powers in this class!”  
“Fritz can say a lot of things!” Damien countered. “How can we know that he’s not actually using them and saying he isn’t!?”  
The entire class was frozen, looking to see how Fritz was going to react. Fritz, used to being the center of attention, just chuckled and said, “Trust me, when I use my powers, there’s not a shadow of a doubt that I’m using them!” He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, one of the dodgeballs began zipping around on its own accord.  
Damien looked like he was going to explode. Fritz knew he hated losing, but now that there was no ammunition for him, he couldn’t get Fritz kicked out of the game. In fact, he was getting so angry that he seemed to be turning red. Then Fritz realized that Damien was actually glowing with red light. In a flash of red, he turned into a giant hedgehog.  
“Fritz!” Rivers gasped.  
“No, wait, this isn’t me! My powers are purple, not red!” Fritz defended. He held up his hand and the dodgeball flew into it, where it began glowing purple. “See?”  
“OH HO HO HO HO!” Haywire’s shrill laugh sounded like it was coming from a megaphone. She appeared on top of one of the basketball hoops, leering down at them with a psychotic grin. “Hello everyone! The gorgeous, lovely, and fabulous Miss Haywire is here to take you on the ride of your lives!”  
She clapped her hands twice, and the gym came apart. Pieces of the floor broke apart with hot lava flowing between them. Damien the hedgehog’s mouth began foaming and he started running after their other classmates.  
“Hey, you!” Rivers shouted. “What do you think you’re doing!?” He grabbed a ball and lobbed it at her. Without even looking, Haywire caught the ball, then grinned at him, purposely showing off her pointed teeth.  
“That’s cute, thinking you can go against me!” In an instant, she was behind him. “However, the only one who can stop this all is Fritz, and right now he’s not doing anything to stop it.” She and Rivers looked at him. “Since you’re the teacher, why don’t you tell Fritz to give me the crystal?”  
The confusion on Rivers’s face, and the grin on Haywire’s made Fritz’s blood boil. His Crystal began shining with a gray/purple light, which was growing so bright that everyone had to look away (even Damien). The floor mended itself, and Damien turned back to normal--though he promptly fainted. The doors opened, and everyone ran out screaming.  
“Come on, we have to help Damien!” Amy shouted.  
Alfie looked like he wanted to argue, but he nodded and the two of them supported Damien on their shoulders. They started to leave when Haywire appeared before them in a swirl of red light. “Hand over the book and I’ll let you pass,” she offered.  
Fritz’s hands knocked her to the side, before growing huge, picking up Alfie and Amy, and moving them (along with Rivers) out. When everyone was safe, he shut the doors and face Haywire. She stood, and gave a dry chuckle. “Well, well, well. So, this is the true power of Fritz the Gray. I’ll have to remember this for next time.”  
Before she could blink, he was holding her by her collar. “Attacking me is fine. But if you put any of my friends in danger again, and there won’t be a next time. Understand?”  
Haywire’s expression looked like she was hiding pure terror behind a cocky facade. “Until we meet again,” she said, before disappearing. When she was gone, the light died and Fritz felt all of his energy leave him.  
The door opened again, and he heard Amy and Alfie shout, “Fritz!” They ran up and supported him. He felt a bit better with the two of them. Amy continued, “That was amazing!”  
“Thanks,” Fritz chuckled. Turning to Alfie, he said, “I’m proud of you, Alfie. You did the right thing.” He held his fist out, and Alfie bumped it. Suddenly, there was a flash of golden light, the book appeared.  
It opened; on one of the pages, a golden line began drawing itself on the page--taking the shape of a strange necklace--like a coin with the design of an orange with seven segments. It peeled itself from the page, becoming a golden medallion with seven slots. The chain broke open and it attached itself to Alfie’s neck.  
All three of them stared at it for a moment, before Amy grabbed the book and commented, “Well, that solves that problem.” She giggled and held it to her chest. “It looks good on you.”  
Alfie smiled, and they all stood and faced their classmates. “Let’s have a real dodgeball game!” Fritz shouted, before holding out six arms. “And this time I’m holding nothing back!”


	5. The Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally having some down time, the three friends decide to visit the amusement park. With Alfie worried about the White Crystal, and Fritz's general discomfort of roller coasters, tensions escalate rapidly. They discover that something sinister is hiding behind the roller coaster.

“I don’t understand, though. I’ve had this Medallion for a week now; why hasn’t anything happened?” Alfie directed this at his brother and friend, but it looked like he was asking the Medallion. “Amy, what does it say in your book?”  
“It says that the Trials will begin when they need to. Apparently, the Trials don’t need to begin yet.” She ate a bit of her cotton candy. “But just because they haven’t started doesn’t mean they never will.”  
“Amy’s right, bro,” Alfie’s twin brother Fritz told him. “Finding the White Crystal isn’t a 100% end-all. Haywire is no closer to finding it. Actually, now that I think about it, she’s not even as close as we are!” He was eating a bag of popcorn. “Let’s enjoy the amusement park!”  
The three of them were walking through Cedar Lake, a large amusement park close to the city. The twins’ aunt Addie had driven them, and she was letting them wander the park by themselves. Alfie knew that it was time for him to have fun, but after having the Medallion for a week, he was getting impatient. Fritz had suggested this visit to relax him.  
Alfie sighed. “Okay.” He let the Medallion rest on his neck again. It was a fairly small thing, about the size of his palm. It was thick, with seven slots and triangular openings. In the center of it all was a small white triangle--the symbol of the White Crystal. Originally, they’d been worried he wouldn’t be able to take it off--that turned out not to be a problem. He could remove it and put it on at will, but keeping it off wasn’t any way to pass any of the Trials.  
“What do you guys want to do?” He asked before biting his corndog.  
“Roller coasters!” Amy shouted excitedly.  
Fritz nearly choked on his popcorn. “Roller coasters?” He asked. Unlike usual, he sounded distinctly worried. He looked up at the roller coasters and his pupils shrunk.  
“Fritz?” Amy asked. “Fritz, is something wrong?”  
“Nothing!” Fritz shouted in an unnaturally high-pitched voice.  
“Right…” Amy replied in a non-convinced voice.  
Alfie pat Fritz’s back. “Fritz just doesn’t want to admit that he’s terrified of roller coasters.” The fear had developed when they had been little--long before Fritz had found the crystal, and it had never really gone away.  
“Shut up, Alfie! I am not!” Fritz argued, swatting his hand away.  
“Are you sure?” Alfie pressed. “You paled like chalk when Amy mentioned the roller coaster. What other reason would you suddenly choke on your popcorn? Fritz, I’ve known you my entire life. Just own up to it.”  
Fritz glared at him. “You’re one to talk, Alfie. See any clowns lately?”  
Alfie recoiled. “I’m not afraid of clowns and you know it.” He growled. Fritz just grinned at him.  
“Just own up to it, Alfie.”  
The two brothers glared at each other, each daring the other to make a move. Amy interjected herself, saying, “We don’t have to ride rollercoasters and we don’t have to see clowns. We came here to have fun and you two arguing is not fun.”  
“I’m not afraid,” the brothers said simultaneously, without looking away from each other. “Oh yeah? Prove it.” They both chimed.  
“Carnival of Terror,” Amy suddenly intervened. When the brothers looked at her with confusion, she explained, “if you want to prove that you’re not afraid, ride the Carnival of Terror roller coaster. If you can make it through without being completely terrified, then you can claim to not be afraid.” She looked at her map. “Unless, of course, either of you want to chicken out now,” she added, giving them a sly grin.  
Oh my gosh she’s adorable, Alfie thought. She kept walking, and Alfie realized that she was going to ride that ride--with or without him and Fritz. Not wanting to behind, he and Fritz ran to catch up.

The Carnival of Terror was universally the scariest ride anywhere. It was so scary, in fact, that each train was installed with a panic button in front of each seat. If anyone hit the button, the ride would immediately stop, and the riders would be let off. The challenge was that the brothers both had to ride without hitting the button. If either of them did, then the other would have bragging rights every time they came.  
“There’s no line,” Amy commented in confusion as they approached the ride.   
“There never is,” Alfie explained. “They always somehow get a picture of whoever pushes the button. The picture is random, and they use it to humiliate the riders. Not many people are willing to ride it.”  
“How come it’s still here, then?” Amy asked. “That doesn’t seem like a wise business venture.”  
“Halloween,” Fritz commented. “During the month of October, people like to test their courage. The park charges five dollars a ride, and they bring in...how much did you say, Alfie?”  
“10,450 on average,” Alfie replied dryly, before looking at the pictures on the screens. He walked up to the ride operator and said, “three for the Carnival of Terror.”  
The operator, who’d been zoning out, blinked and asked. “Wait; you actually wanna ride this?” He raised his eyebrow, looked at the ride, then back at the trio. “You three are either really brave or completely insane. Well, whatever.” He pushed a button and the gates opened. “Knock yourselves out. Not literally, of course--don’t need a lawsuit.”  
Fritz started to walk to the back car, but Amy stopped him. “Oh no you don’t, buddy. We’re sitting in the front car, and I’m sitting in the middle. I’m the judge for this escapade and if either of you press a button, I want to see it.”  
Alfie looked at Fritz. There was no way the two of them were getting out of this one. Fritz was stiff as a board, so Alfie slid in first. Amy sat next to him and smiled, which made his chest feel fuzzy and warm. Well, as fuzzy and warm as he could with an animatronic killer clown staring at him.   
“Please keep your hands, feet, and personal items on you at all times,” the operator droned in a monotone voice. Suddenly he had a mischievous--almost sinister--grin. “And watch out for clowns,” he warned before laughing maniacally. He pulled a lever and the ride jerked to a start.  
Fritz was already jittering and shaking, and Alfie’s heart was racing. “W-well at l-least roller coasters start out slowly…” Fritz stammered as they moved on the track.  
“Not this one!” The operator shouted. They looked at him, then the animatronic clown. The clown began cackling, and was holding his club like he was going to swing a baseball bat. Alfie felt every fiber of his being tense up.  
As he swung, the train plummeted. All three of them screamed (Fritz was like a police siren). As they went down, they saw more animatronic clowns. Alfie knew they were fake, but with the adrenaline from the ride, his heart was racing almost at a mach 5. Suddenly, they curved upwards and loop-de-looped in the air. They went down a slope, towards what looked like a giant clown with his mouth open. Both Alfie and Fritz screamed, and held onto Amy together.  
Fritz’s jewel began shining gray, and the Medallion’s openings shone yellow. “What the!?” Amy exclaimed. Without warning, beams of light shot out and and hit the clown’s nose. The mouth seemed to glow with yellow fire, in which the care plummeted.  
The track disappeared; the track was almost flying through the air. Or...whatever yellow wormhole opened in the mouth of a giant clown. Now all three of them were yelling in confusion.  
“Is this what I think it is!?” Amy bellowed.  
“I don’t know!! What do you think it is!?” Fritz shouted.  
“I think it’s a yellow wormhole!!” Alfie screamed. They actually did a barrel roll, loop-de-loop, and other complicated maneuvers that would be completely impossible on a normal roller coaster track.   
“I’m getting sick!!” Fritz shouted. “I want this ride to end now!” there was a sudden flash of light, and they were on a track again, before coming to a stop. The clamps opened, and the three of them weakly climbed out of their seats.  
“Um...when did it get so dark?” Amy asked. It was twilight, suddenly, with an orangey-yellow color in the sky.  
“And why are we suddenly in a carnival?” Fritz added. Alfie hadn’t even noticed, but he stiffened when he realized Fritz was right. The amusement park was completely gone, replaced by a dark, seemingly abandoned carnival. He looked around, then noticed something out of place.  
“Hey, Amy, didn’t you leave that at home?” he walked over and picked it up before handing it to her.  
“Yeah, for sure.” She opened it and gasped. “I know for a fact that I left this at home.” She pulled out the Wielder’s Guide to the Crystals of Reality. “I wonder how this got here?”  
Alfie groaned. “Fritz…”  
“It wasn’t me!” Fritz protested. “I have no idea what’s going on!” The two of them looked at Amy for explanation.  
She shrugged, then opened the book. “Eh...all it says is that the Trial has started, and all we have to do is find the way back home.” She flipped a few more pages. “It also says ‘find the yellow shard’ but gives no explanation to what that is.”  
Alfie sighed, “I know I said I wanted to start the Trials of Emotion, but this was very unexpected. Fritz, can you make a portal back home?”  
Fritz snapped his fingers. Alfie waited, but nothing happened. Both he and Amy looked at Fritz in confusion. Fritz didn’t look any less confused than they were. He began waving his finger sporadically, but no glowing purple slashes appeared in the air. He tried clapping his hands, pulling his nose, flipping his tongue, grinding his teeth; absolutely nothing was happening. His eyes widened, and he stammered, “M-my powers aren’t working!”  
“WHAT!?” Alfie and Amy exclaimed. Alfie’s mind raced--Fritz’s powers always worked. Even when Haywire had messed with his powers, they’d still worked--kind of. This was the first time ever since Fritz found the Crystal that his powers had completely switched off.  
“Are you feeling okay?” Alfie asked his brother. “Are you sore? Tired? Please don’t say that you have a fever!” He felt Fritz’s forehead. It felt normal, which let Alfie sigh in relief.  
“Don’t worry, Alfie,” Fritz laughed. “I feel fine. My powers aren’t working, but it’s not from exhaustion. They’re just...not working, you know? I guess that can even happen to me sometimes.”  
Amy checked her book. “During the Trial, no Wielder may use their powers. This is a precaution against any attempts to finish the Trials early or make them easier. Until the Trial is passed, or failed, the Wielder will be powerless.” She looked at Fritz. “I guess you’ll just have to rely on your human abilities.”  
“My human abilities…” Fritz’s voice was both tense and exasperated. “My...my human abilities…” Alfie had heard this voice before--Fritz hadn’t sounded this tense since he had actually found the Crystal in the first place. His eyes were wide but his diamond pupils were tiny. “I don’t think I can do it…”  
“We have to find a shard, right?” Alfie asked. “This place is pretty empty, so that’s not a problem. Creepy, but not really a problem. If we split up and head in different directions, maybe we can find this shard and go home.”  
“I don’t know, Alfie. Splitting up seems like a bad idea, especially with all the problems we tend to run into,” Fritz argued. His teeth were chattering and he was visibly shaking. Normally, Alfie would tease him, but nothing about this was normal.  
Amy put her hand on Fritz’s shoulder. “Whether we like it or not, this is Alfie’s Trial. While we’re here, we should listen to what he tells us.” She looked and said, “I’ll head that direction.” She pointed towards a funhouse.  
Alfie’s heart skipped a beat, and he was glad that Amy had chosen it--clowns were all over it. Fritz groaned. “I’ll head over that way.” He pointed towards the Ferris Wheel--one of the only rides that didn’t make Fritz flip out.  
“So if Amy’s going that way, and you’re going that way, that leaves…” Alfie’s finger pointed towards a large, dark circus tent. “Of course….” He sighed.  
“Who knows?” Amy asked. “Maybe there won’t be any clowns.”  
“Amy, there are always clowns,” Alfie groaned. “Let’s split up and meet back here in an hour.” With a nod, the three of them walked off in their separate directions. As he walked, Alfie looked at the Medallion closely. Yes, he’d wanted to start the Trials as soon as he could, but this was a bit too much for him.  
Then again, that was probably why the Trial started. It wasn’t supposed to be easy for him. Also...the way that the Medallion and Crystal had seemed to react to each other before the portal opened. Both him and Fritz had been terrified. The gears began turning, but before he could figure anything out, he was staring an ugly, dirty, candy-striped tent.  
“Huh, seems empty,” he commented. As if waiting, the tent suddenly lit up with loud, eerie, and strange carnival-like music that sent shivers down Alfie’s spine. “Of course…” he sighed.  
“Of course?” Amy’s voice made him jump. “What’s ‘of course’?” He turned to see her standing right behind him. She looked strange for some reason. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but seeing her put an uneasy feeling in his gut. However, there was one thing that he did notice.  
“When did you get that barrette?” He asked. It was a silver, jewel-studded butterfly that he hadn’t noticed her wearing when they’d gone into the amusement park.  
“Oh, I’ve always had it. You just didn’t notice, I’ve always had it.” Her voice sounded weird, her repeating her words like that.  
“Um...okay,” Alfie replied. “Since you’re here, let’s search the tent for this shard thingy you were talking about, alright?” He started to open the flap slowly.  
Suddenly, Amy grabbed his wrist and pulled him in. “Let’s watch the show! It sounds so much fun, let’s watch the show!” They ran into the near-empty tent. It was as dirty and disturbing as the outside (or the rest of the carnival, for that matter). Without any regards to the filth, Amy pulled Alfie to a seat and pushed him down onto one.  
“Amy, we need find the shard, not watch a circus!” Alfie protested.  
“Ssshhh!” Amy hushed, before turning back and watching the show.  
Alfie saw the ringmaster--he was impossibly tall; nearly reaching ten feet in height. That wasn’t including his two-foot-tall hat and five-inch heels. He had on a full-face mask that had a large, sharp-toothed smile. “Welcome, one and all to the best circus in all the multiverse! I’m your ringmaster, Phoebus von Feer!”  
There was a roar of applause and suddenly ghostly patrons appeared around the two of them. Amy was clapping wildly and whooping. By now, Alfie was growing accustomed to her energy, but she’d been so serious before they’d split up. “Amy, we need to go!”  
“Try to relax! I’m making the best of this situation, so try to relax!” Amy scolded. They turned and watched the show, which was so far this Feer guy talking up his circus. Alfie’s heart skipped a beat--there were several sinister looking clowns riding around on suspiciously stained vehicles.  
“Amy, we need to get out of here,” Alfie tried to emphasize, grabbing Amy’s wrist. With a jerk, Amy yanked her hand out of his and growled.  
“Ah! Do we have a volunteer?” Feer asked. A spotlight shone on Alfie, and his whole body stiffened. “Young gentleman, please join me at the center of the tent!” Alfie made no movements, but before he could blink he was standing next to Feer.  
“Tell everyone your name, Alfredo!”  
“Uh...m-my name is A-Alfie…” Alfie’s voice stuttered. As much as he hated clowns, he hated public speaking almost just a much. Then it struck him that Feer knew his name. “Wait…”  
“So Alfie! I’m going to ask an honest question, and I need an honest answer!” Feer announced. Alfie didn’t like how upbeat he was. It clashed with everything around him. Suddenly, Feer loomed over Alfie, and Alfie saw his eyes were poisonous yellow. His voice suddenly took on a (slightly) more demented tone, “Are you afraid?”  
His grip was vice-like and painful. Alfie couldn’t pull away from him, which was likely Feer’s intention. When Alfie got frightened enough, he stopped being scared and started getting angry. “Why do you care?” he asked, pulling his arm away.  
“It’s merely a matter of interest for me,” Feer replied. “You wouldn’t want to let the audience down, would you?” He gestured around; Alfie noticed that the clowns were circling around them, too close for comfort.  
Before he even knew what he was doing, he launched himself away from Feer, vaulting over one of the clown cars, up the bleachers an grabbing Amy’s wrist and pulled her after him. The clowns honked their horns and cackled in their pursuit. Alfie’s heart was racing and his palms were sweating. Amy was just being pulled along shouting “Wee!!”  
Somehow it was even darker and more twilit than ever. The clowns’ cars were frighteningly fast. Alfie knew he couldn’t outrun them for long; especially with Amy being a deadweight like she was behaving. She was laughing giddily, but wasn’t making any effort to actually run with Alfie. He found a stand and pulled Amy with him behind it. “Aw,” Amy protested. “I was having fun!”  
“Amy, now is not the time for fun,” Alfie hissed. I’m--we’re--trying to find that shard you were talking about. Why are you so insistent on making things harder all of a sudden?”  
“You’re never going to find the yellow shard if you’re so uptight about everything,” Amy pouted.   
“Amy, do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?” Alfie scoffed. “Wait...how did you know the shard is yellow? You didn’t mention anything like that before.” He looked at her seriously, and she just half-winked and grinned like it was nothing.  
“AAAAUUUGGGHH!!!” Fritz’s loud, energetic voice caught Alfie’s attention. He peeked up a bit and saw Fritz hiking up his legs running from...something. As Fritz started to run by, Alfie grabbed him by the collar and pulled him behind the counter.  
Fritz’s eyes were wide. Alfie started to talk, but Fritz gasped and threw both of his hands over Alfie’s mouth. A rumbling, howling noise, as if a roller coaster was possessed by a demon, flew over their heads. After less than a minute, when it was gone, Fritz sighed and relaxed his hands. “Sorry, Alfie. Didn’t want that thing to find us.”  
Alfie pulled Fritz’s hands from his mouth. “What thing? Fritz, what exactly is this thing you’re running from?” It definitely wasn’t the creepy clowns that had been chasing Alfie and Amy.  
“Some kind of possessed, monstrous roller coaster. It just detached itself from the track and began chasing after me. Geez, without my powers I nearly couldn’t get away.” He was panting, then he looked at Amy. “Wait...Amy, how’d you get here? I thought we’d split up so that the Coaster Demon would only go after one of us.”  
“Huh? What do you mean? Amy’s been with me practically the entire time. We just left a circus tent whilst being followed by a pack of murderous clowns. Though someone clearly wasn’t taking it at all seriously.” He gave a withering looked to Amy.  
Amy looked...worried. “I don't know what you’re talking about, Fritz. I’ve been with Alfie the entire time.” Now, this was definitely a confusing situation, but Amy sounded genuinely afraid of something.  
Fritz looked less worried, but concerned. “But...how? I could have sworn it was you. You even had the same exact new hair clip.” He thought about it. “She looked like you, sounded like you, everything was a dead ringer…”  
“Hey, Amy...what are you afraid of? Clearly, this trial is about facing our fears. I admit, clowns make me nervous. Fritz is obviously terrified of roller coasters. This place takes our fears and warp them. Actual killer clowns and demon roller coasters? So if we can figure out what each of us is afraid of, maybe it’ll be easier for all of us. So, Amy, what is your fear?”  
“Oh, nothing really,” Amy passed off. She thought about it, but seemed to draw a blank. “Huh, I guess I don’t actually have a deepest darkest fear? Huh.” She seemed extra ditzy.  
The brothers shared a look. It was quite obvious that this was not the same Amy that had gone through the wormhole with them. It was more difficult guessing what had changed between the times they’d seen her. Fritz looked like he was going to say something when they heard “Fritz!”  
All three of them froze. “Fritz! I think the roller monster is gone! Next time we should try riding it!” Her voice had the same ditzy quality as the Amy they were sitting next to--though the Amy they were with had all the color drained from her face.  
“Fritz!!! Alfie?? Where are you guys? I haven’t found anything like the yellow shard yet. Do you think that this means we get to go home? I’m kind of tired.” The Amy they were hearing sounded normal(ish) enough, but the Amy next to them was shaking.  
Suddenly an idea popped into Alfie’s head. “Come with me,” he said, grabbing her hand. “Let’s go face your fear.” Amy screamed in surprise, but she was light and didn’t make much of an effort to fight back. Fritz, though thoroughly confused, followed closely behind.  
“Amy!” Alfie bellowed.  
Getting the gist, Fritz also started shouting, “Amy!!”  
“No...please...you don’t know what you’re doing…” Amy’s voice started to grow weak and whispery.  
Together, the brothers bellowed, “AMY!!” Up ahead, Alfie couldn’t believe what he was seeing. There was another Amy up ahead of them, with the same sparkling butterfly hair clip.  
“No…” The one Amy muttered as the other turned around. The two of them stared at each other in complete silence...for a moment. Then, simultaneously, they began screaming in the same shrieking decimal. Together, their eyes began glowing bright white and they exploded. Both of them completely exploded into tiny pieces of glass.  
“Well, that was unexpected,” Fritz commented. As they watched, the little butterflies flew up and burst into light.  
Suddenly, a chorus of Amy voices echoed. Well, well, well. It looks like you’ve discovered our little secret. But trust us when we say there are more where that came from, and you’ll have to match us up pair by pair to find your friend. In another flash of light, there were suddenly more Amies than either brother could count. With a chorus of giggles, they all ran off.  
“Okay, brother of mine,” Alfie said. “I think we both know what to do.” With a nod, the two brothers ran off in different directions.

Collecting Amies turned out be a task in itself. Each one was as quick and athletic as the original Amy, and would vault over any obstacles in her way. It also didn’t help that Alfie was being chased by killer clowns and Fritz by a killer roller coaster. However, one by one, each brother caught an Amy and would meet, cause each Amy to scream and explode into glass.  
It took a while, but slowly and surely, Alfie and Fritz weeded through the Amies until there were only two left. Fritz had already caught his, and the two of them were chasing the second while Fritz pulled the first behind him. Each Amy grew limp as the brothers grabbed her, but they were as light as paper.  
The last Amy was the fastest, and she was running towards the house of mirrors. The boys ran after her, and when they were inside, Alfie gasped. All of the mirrors were shattered, with glass on the floor. “Lucky we’re wearing shoes,” Fritz commented. “I don’t want to imagine what would happen if we tried to walk on that.”  
The three brothers and the fake Amy kept walking through the fun house. The Amy muttered, “Here I am…” The glass seemed to react to her, glowing whenever her shoes touched it.  
Alfie heard a small gasp and the clinking of glass as it was shifted by someone’s feet. He followed it, carefully honing his ears, until it suddenly stopped. He heard soft whimpering, like someone was trying not to cry. He followed that, and gasped again.  
Amy--the real Amy--was in a mirror. Her eyes were closed, but her lips were quivering like she was trying her hardest not to cry. Standing in front of it was the fake Amy that Alfie and Fritz had been chasing. Turning around, the Amy gave Alfie a twisted smile. “So, you managed to find us all. Now what are you going to do?”  
As Fritz walked around with the other Amy, the Amy that Alfie was facing shot a bolt of silvery-white light at her. The Amy with Fritz gasped as the silver lines grew across her body. With the same high-pitched scream as all the others, she exploded into glass. However, the Amy in front of the mirror didn’t.  
“So how are you going to get rid of me?” she asked. “I have no match. Bye!” She ran off.  
“Hey!” Fritz yelled. Looking at Alfie, he asked, “What do we do?”  
Alfie thought, looking at Fritz’s ears. “Fritz, can you go after her? You’re more athletic than me, and you’ll be able to hear her, with or without your powers. I’ll try to wake Amy up in the mirror.” He suggested.  
Fritz nodded. “Got it! I’ll be back before you can say ‘Crystal of Reality!” He ran off as Alfie turned back to the mirror.  
“Come on, Amy,” Alfie muttered. “Please...we need you...I need you…” He pressed his hand against the glass. Amy stopped crying for a moment, and moved like she could sense Alfie was there. Alfie laughed and put his other hand up on the glass.  
Amy moved with some confusion, like she couldn’t see anything. With how warped and twisted this trial world was, this wasn’t too far off base. However, she found his other hand, and the darkness in the mirror turned to a perfect reflection of the house of mirrors. Suddenly, Amy’s eyes snapped open and they widened at the sight of Alfie. She mouthed something, like she was saying Alfie’s name.  
“Amy!” Alfie laughed. Amy smiled, but she was still stuck. Alfie didn’t want to break the glass, in case it would hurt Amy. Amy looked terrified and confused, but relieved at the sight of Alfie.  
“Alfie!” Fritz called. Alfie turned to see him carrying the last fake Amy who was struggling beyond belief. Her eyes went wide, as did the actual Amy’s.  
“NO! NO! NO!” the fake Amy screamed, trying to break out of Fritz’s arms. Even without his powers, Fritz was moderately strong, so the fake Amy wasn’t going anywhere.   
“I think I know what to do!” Alfie said, jumping over to them. The brothers held the fake Amy and directed her eyes so she was looking at the mirror. Alfie motioned for the real Amy to look the fake Amy in the eyes. Amy nodded and looked intensely at the phony.  
“NOOOO!!!” The fake Amy screamed in a hollow, glassy voice. The same white lines from the other fake Amy appeared on the one they were holding and the mirror holding the real Amy.  
“Duck!” Alfie gasped, grabbing Fritz and pulling him to the side. The fake Amy and the mirror exploded into glass. When the glass settled, Amy fell forward from the mirror’s frame. The twins both moved forward and caught her, before draping her over their shoulders and walking her out. The last fake Amy lay on the ground in a hundred glass pieces. It didn’t help the gloomy, creepy atmosphere.  
When they were outside, the brothers sat with Amy on a bench. Amy groaned, sitting up and asking, “What...happened…?” she looked, seeing the brothers sitting on either side of her, then looked around and saw they were still in the creepy carnival. Immediately, she started crying again. “I was so scared! I thought that those other Amies were going to replace me!”  
Fritz put a hand on Amy’s shoulder. “Is that what you’re afraid of? Amy, absolutely no one could replace you.”  
Alfie added, “When we met those fake Amies, both Fritz and I immediately knew something was wrong. Those impostors tried to replace you, but they did a terrible job. I know we’re still getting to know each other, but we care about you.” Together, the brothers hugged Amy. “We’d never let anyone replace you.”  
Amy laughed happily and hugged the two brothers. It was so tight it was almost painful, but it was nice. “Thank you...I don’t think I could have faced my fears without you too. The reason I got trapped in that mirror is because when I saw the first Amy I looked away. Next thing I knew, I was trapped behind the glass.”  
“Facing our fears…” Alfie muttered. He gasped, “Amy, that’s it!”  
Both Fritz and Amy looked at Alfie in surprise. He explained, “The only bit of useful information I got from that fake Amy was that the shard we need to find is yellow. This is a world filled with our worst fears, and I think we have to face them to get out. This is the Trial of Fear!”  
There was a thunder-like rumbling in the air. From Amy’s bag the book flew into the air, flipped its pages, and floate back into Amy’s hands. With the pages glowing golden yellow. Amy read aloud, “Congratulations, you’ve taken the first two steps in passing your first trial. The Trial of Fear will be finished once all three fears have been faced and the Yellow Shard is retrieved. You will need to get out the way you came in.”  
“So...the roller coaster that we warped through?” Fritz sighed. “I’m liking this trial less and less.”  
“Fritz,” Alfie said, “after you face your part of the trial, I think the way back will feel like nothing to you.”  
Fritz raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”  
Alfie looked up and pointed in the air. “That,” he said. Curving in the are was a dark, long, snake-like figure flying above their heads. The unearthly scream they’d heard earlier bellowed from the dragon-like creature. It was now flying at the three of them, screaming even more loudly than before.  
Fritz started screaming, got up and started running. However, before he got far, Alfie and Amy grabbed him. Alfie said, “Fritz, you still have super strength; you can jump us on top of the roller coaster monster thing. We’ll stay with you, okay?”  
As the monster swooped down--yeah, it was pretty terrifying, but he’d expect nothing less from Fritz--and it roared with a mouth that took up half its face. Its horns were curled and stuck in all directions. Its eyes were made of fire. Its skin was black and slimy. It still resembled a roller coaster, and it still had its seats. Fritz stiffly watched it swoop down, but Alfie and Amy stood with him and he crouched down, before leaping up as the monster came down. They landed perfectly on top and stumbled a bit at the monster’s speed.  
It twisted in around in the air like a normal roller coaster. They each had to grab onto the handle bars. Except...Alfie couldn’t grab on in time. With a shout, he started to fall. “ALFIE!!” Amy and Fritz screamed. With an unearthly bellow, Fritz grabbed the monster by the horns and forced it to fly down. He caught Alfie in his arms and sat him down.  
As they rode, Amy shouted, “They’re barricading the tent!!” She pointed at the line of clown cars in front the tent. Alfie’s heart skipped, but he didn’t let that stop him.  
Alfie grabbed onto the horns and shouted, “We have to get them to scatter!” He pulled up, forcing the monster’s head down towards the tent.  
“THIS IS WHY I HATE ROLLER CASTERS!!” Fritz screamed.  
Alfie glared down at the killer clowns. They watched the monster zooming down towards them with the same creepy, hungry smiles as when Alfie and the fake Amy had seen the circus. Amy and Fritz were screaming at the top of their lungs. The clowns weren’t going to give in, so Alfie had to. He pulled back and the monster flew into the tent.  
They circled in the air above Feer, who looked up at them, seemingly unconcerned. He whipped out his staff, creating lines of yellow light. The light lines sliced into the roller monster, causing it to explode into bright yellow dust. The three of them flipped in the air and on their feet. Feer looked at the three of them, mildly impressed. “Well, well, well. The little heroes have figured out the key to my trial. Are you ready to face your fears?”  
Alfie raised his eyebrow. “Isn’t that...um...what we’ve been doing?”  
Feer laughed. “That’s what they’ve been doing.” he pointed at Fritz and Amy. “My dear boy, nearly crashing into a bunch of clowns does not count as facing your fear of the circus.” He whipped out more light lines, creating a giant, grotesque clown behind him.  
The clown leered down over them and Fritz commented, “Wait. I remember this guy! Bombillio!” Oh yeah. This clown...Alfie remembered him. WHen they were little kids, Bombillio had thought the funniest joke he could do was pour pudding down Alfie’s pants. It had been cold, sticky, and Alfie hadn’t stopped crying for like three hours after.  
“WHO WANTS TO PLAY!?” Bombillio screamed, summoning a mud ball that looked like a giant wad of chocolate pudding. He lobbed it at them, and the three of them dodged out of the way.  
“Never again,” Alfie growled. He looked around, and saw that Bombillio had a light line connected to Feer’s staff. Amy and Fritz were hitting and kicking Bombillio to no avail. The only thing--the giant clown made a pretty dense wall between him and the ringmaster. But...not too tall, though. “FRITZ!!” Alfie bellowed.  
When Fritz looked, Alfie shouted, “VAULT ME!!” He ran at his brother, who knelt down and got ready. As soon as Alfie stepped, Fritz launched him up. Yeah, it was lucky Fritz’s strength was still intact. Alfie twisted and flipped up onto Bombillio’s shoulder. He patted the clown’s cheek and said, “Hey clown-boy!”  
His heart skipped when Bombillio looked at him.  
“I bet you can’t hit me with your pudding!”  
Bombillio growled and said, “LET’S SEE!!” He made a ball of pudding like he’d thrown at the three of them.  
“Come on…” he muttered. Bombillio threw the ball, and Alfie was swept away. Luckily, he threw it over his shoulder. Feer screamed, and with a puff of dust. Alfie aimed at Feer, whose eyes went wide.  
“Oh.”  
They collided, and Alfie grabbed the staff. With a grunt, Feer let it go, and Alfie tumbled on the ground. He held it above his head and slammed the crystal topper on the ground, shattering it into pieces. With a bellow, Bombillio disappeared. Small shards of crystal flew out--most of them were clear, but one was glowing bright yellow. It was flattish and kite-shaped, but was glowing bright yellow light. As it flipped in the air, Alfie gasped and lunged forward, grabbing onto it.  
“NO!!” Feer screamed. Suddenly, he exploded into a yellow, spirit-like ghost thing, whirling and spinning like a tornado, sucking everything in.  
“WE HAVE TO RUN!!” Alfie screamed, clutching the shard. As he did, a bolt of light shot out and suddenly, a merry-go-round of clown cars began driving in the opposite direction, slowing the feernado down.  
Looking at the shard with some amazement, then shouted, “FRITZ!! CATCH THIS AND SUMMON A MONSTER ROLLER COASTER!!” He lobbed the glowing yellow crystal shard.  
Fritz caught it, and the shard flashed with a bright light, and suddenly the three of them were riding the long, snake like roller coaster monster. Fritz tossed the shard back as they flew from the tent, which exploded as the feernado grew larger and more intense. Ghostly yellow arms began reaching for them. “Amy! Barrage him with Amies!” He tossed the shard to her.  
“TAKE THIS TORNADO GUY!!” Amy bellowed, holding her fist out. Fake Amies shot out like a machine gun, causing the tornado to grab onto them instead of the three friends. Fritz drove the monster at the roller coaster they’d rode in on. They all jumped and took their seats, before Amy shot one more Amy at the lever, starting the ride. She tossed the shard back to Alfie as they crested the hill. They looked and saw that the track was now overrun with killer clowns.  
The three of them screamed as they descended, and the shard blasted the clowns away with a bright light, before they were back in the yellow wormhole. After a minute or so and a death defying descent, they were out of the hole and slowed to a stop on the roller coaster track.  
“Did you enjoy your ride?” the operator asked dully. “Did you see any clowns?”  
Alfie uncurled his fist, where the yellow shard lay. “Um, yeah, I think we saw a few.”  
The operator said, “Um, yeah, that’s just a thing we say for the ride. Don’t know why you’re looking at a broken crystal. Or...why you have your stuff. I’m afraid I’m going to have to report you…”  
Fritz snapped his fingers, and the operator blinked. He was holding a wad of cash. Fritz told him, “Forget about this little incident and I’ll let you keep the whole thing.”  
“Ah...okay…” the operator mumbled. “Hope you enjoyed your ride; your picture is waiting in the gift shop.” The three friends got up and walked from the ride.  
“That was exciting,” Fritz exhaled. “And I am glad to have my powers back.” They stopped in front of a screen, which showed the three of them clutching each other and screaming...with a thin, creepy figure in the background.  
“Feer!” The three of them gasped.  
“Yes?” Feer’s voice made them jump and whirl around. He was standing there calmly, much less scary than before. Without his mask, he was actually quite handsome.  
“But...you…” Alfie stammered.  
“I am the manifestation of fear, Mr. Montenegro. Your fear, to be precise. As long as you are afraid of something, I’ll exist. But fret not; now that you have my shard, you can call on my help at any time.” He pointed to the yellow shard, which was squirming to break out Alfie’s fist.  
Alfie released it and it flew into the air before inserting itself into one of the slots. Feer bowed, saying, “Now that’s taken care of, I can properly inform you of the Trials of Emotion. As you know, there are seven; each one has a corresponding shard you’ll need to find. Once a trial is passed, you may summon the Trial Keeper for assistance.” He bowed again. “But be wary; the trials can occur wherever and whenever the wormholes open, and you have to either pass or fail each trial to leave.”  
“Right. Would we have failed if we’d all been captured?” Fritz asked.  
Feer shook his head. “None of your fears would have actually harmed you, but if you had gotten scared enough and activated the White Shard, then you’d have been automatically transported out of the Trial but it would have counted as a fail. That’s the only way to fail. Now, if you can excuse me,” He yawned and started glowing yellow. “I really need a nap.” He turned into the swirling light and flew into the shard.

“So...what do we do now?” Fritz asked.  
Alfie looked from Amy to Fritz and said, “Let’s go home and watch a not-scary movie.”  
“Yeah!!”


	6. The Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfie and Fritz tell Amy the story of how Fritz found the Gray Crystal

It was quite amazing seeing how Amy would get into Fritz and Alfie’s DND games. Neither brother had expected her to be so into the game, and she admitted that before playing with the two of them (Fritz in particular) she hadn’t given the game much thought. But with Fritz’s ability to bring the game to life (literally), she said that she was finding the game irresistible. The only thing was that Fritz made the game as frustrating as possible.  
“Roll for dexterity,” Fritz said with a devilish grin.  
Amy grinned back and rolled the die. “Nat 20!!” she exclaimed.  
“You successfully dodge the darts.” As he said that, the darts flew over her head.  
Fritz turned to Alfie. The light from his crystal shone upwards on his face, giving him a sinister look. Alfie rolled, saying, “fifteen.”  
“You just barely dodge the darts over your head,” Fritz said.  
Jack rolled, landing a three. “You get hit by a dart, but it turns out they aren’t poisoned at all.” Jack smiled as their last friend, Sarah, rolled.  
“Another nat 20!” Fritz laughed. “Well, you guys got past the door, but our time is up! See you guys next week!” He snapped his fingers, and the dungeon dissolved. Everyone took on their natural appearance.  
“That was fun,” Sarah muttered shyly.  
Jack kissed her cheek. “Thanks for letting me bring her!” The two of them left.  
“I don’t get why you make the game so easy for them, but make it extra difficult for Amy and me,” Alfie complained, sitting on the couch. “I know Sarah gets scared easy but I know that if those darts had hit me they would have killed me.”  
Fritz laughed appeared next to Alfie. “C’mon, Alfie! You’re better than this! We’re brothers, and we’ve been through everything together. Also, I thought you and Amy liked being challenged!”  
Amy sat on the recliner. “It’s more fun when you don’t know what to expect,” she agreed. “And Fritz makes everything unexpected. I can say that you are certainly a good fit for that crystal.”  
Fritz beamed. “Thanks! Though, when Alfie and I first found, I nearly gave it up.”  
At that, Amy’s eyes went wide. “Seriously!?” She thought for a second. “Come to think of it, I don’t think you’ve told me how you found the crystal in the first place. It certainly doesn’t seem like something you’d find around town.”  
Alfie replied, “Well, to be fair, you never asked.”  
“True,” Amy agreed with a shrug.  
“Well, you’re in for a real treat,” Fritz started.  
Alfie held up his hand. “Nope. I’m telling her this time,” he said. Fritz shrugged and grinned, as Amy leaned in with excitement.  
Alfie cleared his throat and started, “As you know, our father is Louis Montenegro, the world-renowned archaeologist. He’s mostly famous for uncovering ruins and artifacts that many wouldn’t find, merely for being brave enough to actually go after them. He loves discovering history, and everywhere he goes, and sometimes he’d bring Fritz and me along. Two years ago, he had gone on an expedition in India…” As he told the story, the house seemed to fade away into a lush jungle.

Fritz and I always loved going with Dad. I enjoyed learning about different cultures while Fritz liked the traps and dangers of each temple. I wanted to be an archaeologist, like Dad, while Fritz wanted to be a professional explorer. On this particular expedition, they were camping outside a temple in an indian jungle, made of moss-covered stone and surrounded by trees.  
Most of the expeditioners were perfectly fine with Fritz and me being there--assuming we stood out of the way--but one of Dad’s colleagues, Jeremiah Winston from Britain absolutely despised the idea of Dad bringing his twin thirteen-year-old sons on such an important expedition. Dad would joke about him being afraid of us being better archaeologists and yeah...it didn’t go over well.  
The biggest rule for the two of us was that we couldn’t go into the temple by ourselves. Due to not having the experience and...y’know...only being thirteen we would pretty much be launching ourselves into certain danger if we had. I was more interested in the actual artifacts, while Fritz just wanted to keep going back into the temple.  
It was the third day of the expedition. Fritz and I were in our tent; I was reading a book of Indian legends. Fritz was trying to watch funny videos on his phone. It was dark out, and I really didn’t want to deal with any nocturnal creatures.  
Suddenly, Dad and Jeremiah walk in. Dad was saying, “Jeremiah, we have enough already. Looking for a rare, potentially legendary jewel will tie us up for maybe a week. My boys are still in school, remember?”  
“Well send your boys back home,” Jeremiah replied shooting a look at Fritz and me. “Look, I’m not saying that a crystal has supernatural properties, but there’s strong evidence supporting this jewel being a large, gray diamond. Finding this thing could advance our careers so far that we could make it internationally.”  
Dad sighed. “Jeremiah, you’re putting all your plans on a single crystal. It might have even been stolen! We’ve investigated every corner of that cave and we haven’t found it yet. You need to be realistic, here.”  
“Be realistic about what?” Fritz asked.  
“None of your business,” Jeremiah snapped.  
“Hey. Don’t be rude to my son. Fritz, Alfie, Jeremiah is looking for an ancient, legendary gray crystal that apparently would turn whoever had it into a god.” He rolled his eyes. “I don’t believe that anything like that could exist, but he’s insistent that we should try to find it.”  
“If we do find it, we’d be legends ourselves!” Jeremiah groaned. “I’ll talk to you about it tomorrow, alright?”  
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Dad replied. When Jeremiah left, he yawned and told us, “Okay, boys, time for bed. Tomorrow we’re heading back to New Delhi and on the first plane back home.”  
After we’d gotten ready for bed and were in our sleeping bags, I heard Fritz hiss, “PSST! Alfie!”  
“Yes?”  
“C’mon!”  
“C’mon where?”  
“C’mon let’s go into the temple and find that crystal!”  
Needless to say, I wasn’t immediately on board with this plan. “Fritz, are you crazy!? Dad says that this crystal doesn’t exist, and we’re both absolutely forbidden from going in there by ourselves in the first place!”  
“Alfie, we’ve been everywhere in there with Dad. It’s not like they put up new traps while we were sleeping!” Fritz argued. “I know you want to go in there again, and this might even be our last chance to do it!”  
Well, when Fritz has an argument, he usually has a good one, so I caved. The two of us got ready, dressing in our expedition clothes and snuck out from the tent, through the camp, and into the temple.

“Wow...I’d never expect you to break the rules,” Amy gasped, laughing. “And wow, your dad’s colleague seems like a complete and total jerk!” she was eating a bowl of popcorn Fritz had created. Fritz himself was drinking a bottle of soda.  
“Actually,” Alfie corrected, “he’s Dad’s former colleague. But more on that later. So, Fritz and I had disobeyed the biggest rule we’d been given, and were heading into the Temple…

My heart was pounding from the stress and excitement from what we were doing. Fritz lead the way--he’s always been better with directions than I am--but it was kind of strange seeing the temple at night. Though it wasn’t as bright as during the day, our flashlights cast a different light, revealing different runes and symbols we hadn't noticed before.  
Though, on second inspection, I realized that the runes hadn’t even been there before. In particular, a grayish rhombus with a cross in the center connecting the corners. It was drawn over a pedestal, and was next to a person drawn with silver paint. This was strange because all of the other humans were drawn in black. I called, “Hey, Fritz,look at this!”  
When Fritz walked over, the picture seemed to start moving--let me tell you, it’s much more startling than it sounds. As he looked it over, he asked me, “Doesn’t that kind of remind you of the story Jeremiah was telling Dad?” The gray rhombus had lines drawn around it, like it was emitting power. Before I could say anything else, he reached out and pressed his finger against it. I was expecting a button of some sort, but instead the drawing itself glowed at his touch. And instead of a trapdoor opening under our feet,the wall opened, and the floor tipped upwards, dumping us into it. You know, in retrospect, this should have been an indicator of what was in store for us later.  
We tumbled down a dark chute which was scary and not fun despite Fritz’s claims to the contrary. No one had been in this part of the temple, and all I could think of was that if anything happened to us, no one would be able to find us. It was weird, though, sliding through that chute. It didn’t just go down. It looped, flipped upside down, barrel-rolled, all kinds of crazy things. At one point, I realized we were sliding up instead of down, mostly because we were launched up into the air. The problem was we were launched over a dark, chasmous pit that seemed to have proper gravity.   
Fritz, being the athletic one, managed land safely on the edge. I was...less fortunate and was barely able to catch the ledge. It was so slippery that I immediately started to lose my grip. As I was just about to fall I felt two strong hands grab onto me. Fritz was holding onto me and keeping me from slipping. The problem was that he was starting slip as well.  
I shouted, “Fritz! Let me go! You’re going to fall, too!”   
“No! I’m not letting you go! You’re my only brother I have so either we fall together or not at all.” This is when things got weird. A grayish-white aura lit up around him and he pulled me up nearly effortlessly.”

“Yeah, I had this sudden surge of strength as soon as I said that, and sudden my shoes had a grip. Alfie didn’t tell me I was glowing until after.” Fritz gave Alfie a look--which was certainly funnier with purple eyes with diamond-shaped pupils.  
Amy laughed. “That definitely sounds like the two of you. Now get on with the story! It’s starting to get good!”  
Alfie grinned. “After Fritz pulled me up....

We hugged each other tightly, almost afraid to let each other go. “Thank you, Fritz,” I told him.  
The ledge was narrow, but wide enough to walk on. We walked along it and found an opening in the stone wall and walked into another cave. It was dark, like the rest of the cave, but not as dark as it should have been. There seemed to be a light up ahead of us, that grew bright the closer we came.  
We ended up in a new room, and we both froze. The walls were lit with the same grayish-white light that had lit up around Fritz. In the center of the room was a glowing gray crystal the size of my hand. I couldn’t believe it--it was exactly like the crystal from the story Jeremiah had told dad.  
Fritz was immediately entranced by the crystal’s light, but I grabbed his shoulder. “Okay, I admit that I was wrong and that this crystal is real, but I don’t think that it’s a good idea to grab it.”  
“Why not?”  
“Fritz, it’s a glowing crystal floating in midair. Also, I think we should focus on getting back than grabbing a probably booby-trapped crystal. That trap door was enough for me. We nearly died.” I was curious, but every bone in my body told me it wasn’t a good idea.  
“Alfie, we just made the archaeological discovery of a lifetime!” Fritz protested. “And we’re just two kids! What if a grave robber...or someone even worse finds it.” He pulled my hand from his shoulder and walked forward. “It’d be safest to get this crystal to a museum. Or Dad. Or someone responsible!” I had my doubts, but he did make a pretty compelling argument. I watched as he reached out, grabbing the crystal from both sides.  
The jewel shone so bright it was blinding. I saw nothing but his silhouette as it floated in the air. Suddenly, Fritz’s eyes shot open, glowing like the crystal. I saw the crystal become a light that spun around his arm and attach itself on his chest as a diamond-shaped light. Then the light die and Fritz dropped to the ground. I ran forward, and gasped.  
Fritz’s skin had turned gray and his hair was white. His ears were pointed. His fingers were long, thin and knobbly, with knife-sharp fingernails. He groaned a bit, and his teeth were like sharp white stones. Most surprising of all, the gray crystal was embedded on his chest, lined with gold. “Fritz?” I asked.  
When he opened his eyes my heart nearly stopped beating. His irises were glowing purple, and his pupils were in the shaped of diamonds. For the most part, he still looked like himself, but at the same time he looked completely different. “Ugh...Alfie...what happened?”  
“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe it,” I told him. “So...why don’t you just feel and look at your chest?”  
Fritz patted his chest. His eyes widened, and he looked at his chest. He gasped, and gasped, and gasped, and then he screamed.”

Fritz blushed. “Hey, I wasn’t expecting to find a gray crystal attached to my chest. I don’t think you would have reacted much better if you suddenly woke up with a magic crystal.”  
Amy laughed. “I wish I had been there!” She looked around. “Though I guess I am kind of there, aren’t I? You’re really good with your powers, Fritz. I don’t think I’d have this much control.”  
Alfie couldn’t control his laughter. “Do you think Fritz had this control when he first trying?”  
Blushing even more, Fritz mumbled, “Two years of practice makes a world of difference, you know? But yeah...my powers were pretty out of control the first few days.” He gave Alfie a pleading look. “Can I tell the story now?”  
Alfie thought about it. “Yeah, I think this part of the story is better from your point of view, anyway. Please continue dear brother.”  
With a grin, Fritz said, “Yeah, I was freaking out, but to be honest, Alfie wasn’t doing much better himself…  
Alfie isn’t much of a talker, but he was talking almost as much as a normal person. Basically, Alfie was babbling. “This is strange. Does this mean that magic is real everywhere? Why haven’t I heard about it until now?”  
I had no idea. “I have no idea.” I told him. “I didn’t think this would happen of all things!” I looked at my hands, which seemed to flicker with gray light as my heart raced. “Geez…” I commented. “And I thought life couldn’t get any weirder.”  
Suddenly, Alfie froze. He said, “We have no way out. We can’t go up a slide. We’re going to die here and no one is going to know what happened to us.” He was patting his chin--Alfie’s version of moving around with the jitters. While what he was saying was true, I didn’t feel like thing were hopeless just yet. The crystal was cool to the touch, but it was tingly and powerful. I remembered that Jeremiah had said the crystal gave whoever had it the powers of a god.  
So I figured it was as good a time as any to find out what those powers were. I announced, “Let’s go back to the camp!” and focused.  
Alfie commented, “Fritz, we can’t. We’re stuck in here! Weren’t you listening?” Though when he looked at me, his face lit up in the crystal’s shining grayish-white light. “Wait...Fritz, how are you doing that?”  
With a grunt, I repeated, “Let’s...go...back...to...the...camp!” I envisioned it in my head, and a surge of power rushed through my body. It pulsed through my arms and exploded out my palms, becoming an individual light that floated in the air in front of us. It was kind of pretty, so I reached out and tapped it with my finger.  
There was a loud noise and we were sucked into the center. It was awful, like we were being crushed at all sides. It was over almost as soon as it had began, and the two of us were spit onto our sleeping bags. “What was that?” Alfie asked. “Fritz, what did you do?”  
“I don’t really know,” I replied. “I was just thinking about getting back to the campsite!” With a small laugh I looked at my hands. “You know, I really think this’ll work out!”  
Alfie gave me a look, and said, “Yeah, I think we should try to understand this crystal better before we jump to conclusion. Besides, what will Dad say when he sees his son has pointed ears, sharp teeth, and purple eyes--not to mention a literal crystal attached to his chest?”  
I yawned. “We’ll deal with that tomorrow,” I told him. “Right now...let’s just get some sleep and conquer tomorrow...tomorrow.” I climbed into my bed and quickly fell asleep.  
Well, luckily I had a peaceful night’s sleep, because the next day was a gigantic disaster. I was shaken awake with Alfie harshly whispering, “Fritz! Fritz, wake up!!”  
My eyes snapped open, and I flinched in the sudden light. When I rubbed them, I saw Alfie looming over me, looking concerned about something. Immediately I panicked. “Alfie, what’s wrong?” I asked, sitting up.  
“Dad’s waiting outside to talk to you. There’s an 80% chance that you’re going to get grounded,” he told me bluntly. “I recommend changing your clothes first, okay?”

Alfie coughed. “I felt it would be better for you if I ripped the bandage off. You know I’m not one to beat around the bush about things. Though it is a good thing I woke up before you did. I don’t want to think about what might have happened had you and Dad startled each other.” His face didn’t betray much, but Amy knew her friends well enough by now.  
She giggled and then gently hit his shoulder. “Now you two should top interrupt each other--this story is getting good!” She laughed. “Now keep going, I wanna hear about how badly your dad scolded you for finding a magic crystal!”  
Fritz laughed. “Alright, alright, calm down, girl. We’ve got all day to tell this story. I guess the really hard thing about the next day was waking up and realizing that everything happening hadn’t been a dream…

Though Dad’s expression was not easy. I’d see my father very mad before; mostly at me and always justified, but this was a whole new level of anger and disappointment that I was not used to.  
“You had one rule. One. Rule. What could have possibly possessed you to break it?” Dad then directed his eyes to my--well, the--crystal. “Wait, nevermind, I think I can guess.”  
The way he was talking didn’t make me feel very good about my decision--which, retrospectively, was kind of the point. “You’re lucky that you two didn’t get yourselves killed. You went into the Temple unsupervised to chase down a crystal you didn’t even know existed, but dragged your brother into danger too! What told you this was a good idea!?”  
` I cleared my throat. “We weren’t trying to go anywhere we hadn’t been. I really just wanted to find a clue and tell you about it. I figured that if this crystal was real, we’d need to get it into capable hands.” I sighed. “Obviously, that’s not how it turned out.”  
Alfie stepped forward, saying, “Fritz followed his heart. He really wanted to impress you, and he even managed to save me when it counted. We’re both sorry for worrying you.”  
Dad sighed. “I’m glad you’re both safe. I guess part of it is the fact that now there’s a magic crystal embedded in my son’s chest. Ancient artifacts aren’t supposed to attach themselves to people. How do you feel? Are you cursed? Is there any pain?”  
“Um...no. It’s tingly. I have powers now but I really don’t know what they are. I was able to make a…’wormhole’ here but I don’t know if I can do anything else. It also instantly drained me. Luckily we landed on our sleeping bags.” I explained.  
That was when Jeremiah decided to put in his two cents. “You know, you’re relying on an insane amount of luck there, right? What if the wormhole had taken you and your brother to...I don’t know...space?”  
“I honestly don’t think it would have. I was specifically wanting to come to the camp.”  
“What if the wormhole had crushed you two?”  
“Again, I don’t think that’s what would have happened. Whatever these powers are, they seem to be attuned to me. Sure, it wasn’t the most pleasant experience, but it was exactly what I wanted: me and Alfie coming back safely.” I told him. “I would never hurt Alfie,” I told my father.  
Dad sighed. “I know you wouldn’t, buddy, but it still seems dangerous to me. However,” he turned to Jeremiah, “It seems just as dangerous to just rip the Crystal off. If it is magic, and attached to Fritz, then I can’t imagine what’ll happen…” He thought for a moment. “Maybe the wise man back in town will know what to do. We’ll leave the crystal alone for now.”  
Jeremiah groaned and harrumphed. “Fine. But that Crystal is going to cause more trouble if it’s not taken care of soon enough.” He glared at me. “Keep yourself under control, alright?”  
Alfie coughed and said, “Excuse me, but Fritz hasn’t caused any trouble. We’re leaving today, aren’t we? So it shouldn’t be too long before we can talk to wiseman. There’s nothing to worry about.”  
With a scoff, Jeremiah turned around and walked off. “I think he’s just jealous that you found the crystal before he could,” Alfie told me with a small grin. “Come on, let’s get our stuff together.”  
It turns out that keeping new magic powers under control is kind of difficult. When we got to the tent, it collapsed, and suddenly all of our things were packed. I reached for my bag and it literally jumped onto my back. I shouted and nearly fell over, but one of the trees sprouted arms and caught me. As all of this was happening, Alfie had to refrain from laughing.  
“Well, that was easier than I was expecting,” he said, picking up his own bag. “Though I think you’ll have to actively refrain from using your powers to keep them under control, alright?” When I sighed and looked away, he patted my shoulder. “I know you can do it, Fritz. I believe in you.”  
Looking at him, I nodded. “Let’s do this.”  
It only got harder to keep my powers under control from there. My emotions were jumping around everywhere so all kinds of crazy stuff was happening. I had to take deep breaths and mutter calming phrases to myself. Instead of reading a book during the ride, Alfie held my hand. It was easier for me knowing I had his support.  
When we got into town I grew nervous. It was like the buildings were leering over us. “Um...Fritz...you’re bending the buildings…” Alfie told me. I blinked and took a deep breath and the buildings fixed themselves.  
We pulled off into the older part of the city, up to an especially old building. As we got out, I realized that everything around me was just a little too large. I focused on growing to my proper size. “This is exhausting…” I muttered. Dad pulled the door open and we walked into the wise man’s shop.  
He had met us before, but only once, so his eyes went wide with surprise when he saw the gray crystal on my chest. “Don’t tell...that’s the crystal from the temple?” He walked forward and asked, “May I touch it?”  
I shrugged. “Sure, I guess.” When he did, the crystal tingled again and flashed with a little bit of energy. “That feels weird when you do that,” I told him. “Could you...um...stop touching it now?”  
The old man nodded and pulled his finger away. “I’m amazed that you found it, young boy. The crystal doesn’t just choose anyone, you know. The power you’ve been granted is nothing to take lightly.”  
I thought about all the crazy things that started since I found the crystal and chuckled, “No kidding.”  
Dad stepped forward. “Is it safe for him to have it though? This kind of power seems to dangerous for a child. Is there a way that we can safely remove the crystal from him?”  
The wise man sighed and shook his head. “Only your son can remove the crystal now, and doing so will have grave consequences for him--he’d lose his life. Also, you seem like a smart boy,” the wise man addressed me. “I believe you’ll be able to figure out how to safely and effectively use your powers. All you need to do is, well, figure out how your powers work.” He smiled, “And while that might be no easy feat, I have full confidence you can do it.”  
I nodded, and looked at Dad. He sighed and said, “Thank you. We, uh, wish you the best. I just hope we can get this crystal back home without any trouble.”  
“You’re a world-renowned archaeologist, are you not? Make up a story about why he should have the crystal and they should believe you. And, if all else fails, he can use the crystal to get home his own way.” the wise man advised.  
I felt weird, but I nodded. “Let’s get back to the hotel. You both need to get rest--it’s going to be a long flight home, you know.” He ruffled mine and Alfie’s hair and we walked back to the taxi.  
Jeremiah was waiting for us. “He still has the crystal. Why does he still have the crystal?”  
“Only Fritz can remove it, and doing so will kill him,” Dad explained. “So We’re just going to let Fritz keep the crystal for as long as he wants too. I want everyone to be safe, but that safety includes Fritz, too.”  
With a scoff, Jeremiah reached towards me, saying, “You need to think about the greater good, Louis.” Suddenly, Alfie caught Jeremiah’s wrist.  
“‘The greater good’ nothing,” Alfie told him. “Besides, you can’t take it from Fritz, anyway. Fritz has to take off by himself. And if Fritz doesn’t want to take it off then the last person who will make him do so is you.” Jeremiah glared at Alfie and yanked his hand away, but didn’t say anything more.  
Well, except, “If that’s how it’s going to be...I guess I won’t be meeting you at the hotel.” He turned away and walked off. There was an ominous feeling in the air, but we decided it best not to say anything. The three of us climbed back into the cab and we were driven back to the hotel.  
A few hours later, after Alfie and I had showered (by the way, that had been the perfect shower, exactly how I like it, though it’s kind of hard washing around a crystal) Alfie and I were on our beds. Dad had a lot of paperwork to do, so he was staying in a different room from the two of us.  
I told Alfie, “Thanks for standing up for me. I really appreciate it.”  
Alfie shrugged. “You’re my brother. What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t?” He yawned. “Let’s get to bed. This whole experience has drained me and I really need to get to sleep.” He switched off his light and quickly fell asleep.  
When Alfie says he needs to sleep, it is not an exaggeration. Though, to be fair, I don’t think Alfie’s ever exaggerated about anything. Without him to talk to, I didn’t have any reason to stay awake. My eyelids grew drifted off to sleep.

After a generally dreamless night, I was woken up to the sound of my phone ringing. Groggily, I woke up, but saw that Alfie wasn’t in bed. My phone kept ringing, and when I checked, it was Alfie’s number. Figuring that he’d gotten himself locked out of the hotel room somehow, I answered with a, “Hey Alfredo.”  
“Alfredo? This isn’t an Italian restaurant, you know,” A gruff voice grunted.   
I blinked. “Wait. Who is this?” I asked.  
“No one of consequence. Just letting you know that we have someone of great importance. If you want your brother back, you will come here and remove your crystal. You will tell no one. If you do, you’ll never see Alfie alive again.” the phone hung up.  
I’d been angry before--I mean who hasn’t--but this time, my blood was boiling. My head spun as a bright, gray light grew around me, and I grew slightly out of control.”

Amy blinked. “That doesn’t sound just slightly out of control, Fritz.”  
Fritz shrugged. “Eh. Remember I had only just developed my powers; cut me a little slack, won’t you?”  
“Ok, I suppose that’s fair,” Amy agreed.  
Alfie cleared his throat. “Okay, now it’s my turn. Now, no matter what Fritz tells you, I was absolutely not scared when they took me. If anything I was annoyed--it’s messed up to kidnap someone in their sleep, especially to try to steal a crystal from their emotionally unstable brother…

The grunts really didn’t like that I wasn’t scared of them. I was bound and gagged against a pillar in an abandoned factory and I was generally just...upset. Not sad, not scared. I was just standing there, waiting for someone (specifically Fritz) to notice I was gone.  
When the grunt made the call, I chuckled. “You’re in for it now, bub.”  
He tossed my phone onto the floor in front of me, where it broke. I looked at it, at him, and asked, “Really?”  
“Shut it you good-for-nothing sociopath,” the grunt growled. He bellowed, “DO SOMETHING! SCREAM! BELLOW!!” he started pacing around me. “YOU’RE SO APATHETIC! IT’S SO CREEPY!!” With another yell he ran at me about to punch me. I stared him down.  
“STOP!” A voice commanded. The grunt stopped his punch halfway through and turned. We looked to see Jeremiah walking down a metal staircase from the upper level. “We need him unharmed for the deal to work. Well, at least until I have the crystal of course.” He leaned in close and grinned deviously. “I’ll want to try out my new powers. I’ll find your breaking point, Alfie Montenegro.”  
“You really hate us, don’t you?” I asked him. “Are you mad that a couple of kids could do your job better than you?” I could feel  
Jeremiah’s face went red and he growled, “You two got lucky to find it, and you’d never would have gone if you hadn’t heard me and your father talking about it!”  
“If you didn’t want it to be found then why were you talking about it? I mean, that’s more on you than me and Fritz,” I replied, stalling. “Besides, aren’t you an adult? Fritz and I are only 13.”  
At this, Jeremiah got really mad. “HE WOULD NEVER HAD FOUND THE CRYSTAL IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU! I’LL KILL YOU!” He leapt at me, his hands ready to strangle me, when he was push back by a pulse of power.  
DON’T TOUCH MY BROTHER, a deep, echoic voice said. A gray light began growing at the doorway. Around it, the entire factory seemed to bend and warp like putty. The ropes that were holding me fell away and were sucked into the warp. From the light a hand emerged, followed by a head and torso, then the legs of my brother. Fritz stepped out of the wormhole looking like a new being. His eyes were glowing gray, as were his claws and hair. His teeth seemed even sharper than before, and he seemed drastically long and lanky, less human than ever. If he hadn’t had the crystal and the hair, I doubt I would have recognized him.  
Jeremiah and his henchman looked at the lanky monster in fear. “Fritz!” I gasped.  
Fritz wasn’t paying attention to me, though. Around him, everything was bending and warping even more so than before he arrived. The henchmen began firing guns at Fritz, but he snapped his fingers and the turned into squirt guns. GIVE ME BACK MY ALFIE, he said without his lips moving.  
“Give me the crystal!” Jeremiah bellowed in response.  
Fritz curled his fists and everything began quivering and vibrating. Things started to get really weird from that point. Crates were turning into Rubik’s Cubes, pillars were turning into umbrellas. Jeremiah’s henchmen turned into pigs. Waves of weirdness pulsed from Fritz’s crystal. The only two people that didn’t seem to be affected were me and Jeremiah.  
I tried running to Fritz, but I couldn’t get any closer to him no matter how fast I ran. Instead, I felt myself actually be pushed back by the pure force of power emanating from Fritz. But as I looked, Jeremiah turned with a wild look in his eyes. Again, he ran at me, pulling out a knife.  
I froze; it wasn’t like I could run away. However, Fritz noticed and let out a scream. In a flash he was back to normal and standing protectively in front of me. A forcefield appeared in front of the two of us. Jeremiah slashed wildly at the forcefield, but couldn’t make a dent. As I watched, and as Fritz grew more distressed, cracks of gray light were breaking across the walls and in the air. Pieces of the world around us began breaking off and shrinking away. Jeremiah saw this and screamed, “NOOOO!!!”  
Fritz hugged me tight as everything around us broke at once.

I woke up in bed with a gasp. When I sat up and looked, Fritz was sitting on his bed, with the henchmen from the night before tied up with Jeremiah--all of them bound and gagged.  
“Fritz!” I gasped. “I just had the most terrible dream!”  
Shaking his head and sighing, “That wasn’t a dream, Alfie. That really happened. I don’t know why but...everything reset. I stopped these guys before they could take you again.”  
I blinked in surprise and looked at my brother, then the thugs. I let out a whistle before saying, “I think we need to tell dad.”

“After we told Dad, and we got home, Mom and Dad decided that it was too dangerous Fritz to use his powers in public--that’s why we kept him in the house. I felt bad, but it seemed safest,” Alfie finished telling Amy. “I personally think that Fritz pushed his powers so far that he broke reality.”  
Amy looked at Fritz in surprise, and he shrugged. “Wow. It’s a good thing you’ve gotten better with your powers,” she told him.  
Fritz swelled with pride, and Alfie smiled. Fritz replied, “Well, it’s thanks to you that Mom and Dad are letting me live my life again. So thank you Amy. I owe you a lot.”  
Amy smiled, and Alfie grinned. He was really glad to have met Amy, too. He felt that things were just going to get better and better with her--including Fritz’s powers.


End file.
